Black Olive Tofu Scramble with Sautéed Mushrooms

Scrambled tofu makes for a very satisfying and filling breakfast. It can be used with an almost unending variety of additional ingredients, so you can have whatever scramble suits your mood (or makes use of whatever’s in the fridge).

I use the same basic method for most tofu scrambles, which is to make a chickpea flour batter that I add after the tofu is cooked and mashed a little. I find that this gives a good, creamy consistency and a richer flavour. I don’t always use turmeric, and I never use the powdered version which, to my mind, adds too much spice to the mix. I am using grated fresh turmeric in this recipe to add colour, a more subtle flavour, as well as making use of its nutritional benefits. A small amount is all you need for this, so I’ve used a ½ inch piece and grated it with a micro plane.

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The recipe itself is gluten-free, so you just have to pick your favourite gluten-free bread to go with it if you have an intolerance or are coeliac.

Press your tofu to get it as dry as possible, 15-20 minutes under some weights should be sufficient, or you can use a dedicated tofu press if you have one.

Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes resting time. Cooking time: 20 minutes.

Serves 3-4

Gluten-Free

Ingredients:

For the Batter:

50g gram (chickpea) flour

150ml plant milk

2 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast

½ flat tsp smoked sea salt

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ inch piece fresh turmeric, grated with a fine grater

125ml vegan cream

A dash of black pepper

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For the Mushrooms:

2 tbsp olive oil

300g mini portobello or chestnut mushrooms, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Tofu:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 x 400g block firm tofu, pressed until quite dry, then diced into small cubes

2 cloves garlic, grated

100g black olives, stoned and roughly chopped (I used Moroccan dry black olives)

To Serve:

4 slices of rustic bread, toasted

A handful of fresh rocket leaves

A drizzle of olive oil

Method:

Make the batter by putting the flour into a mixing bowl, then slowly whisking in the milk until you have a lump-free mixture. Now add the rest of the batter ingredients, whisk together and leave to rest for 20-30 minutes.

Cook the mushrooms by heating the olive oil in a frying pan, until quite hot, and then sautéing the sliced mushrooms for 6-8 minutes, until browned. Season with the salt and pepper just before the end of cooking. Set aside and keep warm.

Now cook the tofu. Use the same pan to heat more olive oil and cook the tofu again for 6-8 minutes, on a medium heat, until just starting to brown. Use a potato masher to break up the tofu, so that it has more of a scrambled texture, then stir in the olives and the garlic. Cook this for 2 more minutes.

Pour the batter into the pan with the tofu and stir. It will start to thicken immediately. If it gets to a point where it’s too thick you can thin it out by adding a little more plant milk, especially just prior to serving.

Once the batter is hot and you have the desired consistency, serve the warm mushrooms on cut slices of hot, buttered toast. Now spoon on the tofu scramble, put some rocket leaves on top and then drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.