The Best Way To Cook Your Tofu Scramble
As a vegan, you get the question of: "Don’t you miss eggs?” No, not at all. Especially if you know how to cook tofu properly.
I’ve been living in Totsuka for about a month now, and the only tofu I’ve been able to reliably source has been really soft, nigari-style tofu. It doesn’t have the firm texture required to cut into blocks and fry. So, to get around this, I’ve been freezing my tofu to make it firm enough to handle.
Now I usually have a tofu scramble for breakfast, so I reached for my frozen tofu and was honestly amazed by the texture of this particular tofu. Since it was a softer tofu, when it froze, it developed these beautiful textured curds. It’s hard to describe, but it was a wonderful revelation. Keep some stocked up in your freezer ahead of time for this!
I like to cook my tofu scramble pretty simply: Some olive or sesame oil, green onions, and curry powder. I prefer curry powder over turmeric most of the time because of the extra spices. It provides a nice flavor while also giving the scramble the yellow color we all love.
It was paired with some smaller vegetable side dishes, some of which I picked up from living in our shared housing space. Everyone here knows how to cook, so I’ve been learning from the residents here. The Japanese really know how to prepare vegetables! My favorite of these has to be the tomatoes, seasoned with soy sauce, black pepper, rice vinegar, and nori. You could call it.. norimato
Tofu Scramble with Nori-Tomato & Salted Carrot
Tofu Scramble
1 block of soft tofu, frozen and defrosted
2 teaspoons sesame or olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced (to taste)
Squeeze out all of the water from the tofu. There will be a lot. Break it up however you feel.
Heat your preferred oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the sliced green onion whites to the pan and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Next, add the curry powder and toast for 30 seconds. Add the tofu and cook for 3-5 minutes. Longer cooking will make it drier.
Adjust the seasoning and fold in the sliced green onions.
Nori Tomato
A handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
¼ sheet of nori, torn into small pieces
dash of soy sauce (to taste)
dash of rice vinegar (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Adjust the seasoning as needed.
Shio Momi Carrot
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into thin pieces. (I like to use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons)
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
dash of rice wine vinegar (to taste)
Mix the carrot and salt in a bowl. Massage thoroughly with your hands, then let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Taste for the salt level; if it is too salty, give it a light rinse to remove excess salt. Season with the sesame seeds and rice wine vinegar. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.
