Miso eggplant with scrambled tofu

Tofu scramble recipe

Whether you’re anti-egg or just pro-tofu, having this delicious dish in your back pocket means you’ll have an adaptable breakfast, side dish or vegan dinner on hand when you need it. Here, it’s spiked with Asian flavours and we’ve paired it with tender baked eggplant but there’s no reason you can’t go the traditional route and serve your tofu scramble with toast, fried tomato and mushrooms. The great thing about scrambled tofu is that like its eggy inspiration, it’s high in protein, cooks in minutes and requires few ingredients. And did we mention it’s delicious?

What style of tofu works with this dish?

Tofu is made by coagulating soy milk and pressing the curds and it’s a mainstay in many Asian cuisines. Originally from China, tofu has been an important part of Chinese cookery since the Han dynasty – more than 2000 years. It’s thought that tofu spread around East Asia with along with Buddhism – and the high-protein, vegetarian food remains a staple of diets in countries including Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and Korea.

With its subtle flavour and sponge-like qualities, tofu makes an excellent addition to meatless meals. It comes in an amazing variety of different textures, from blocks of firm tofu to the soft silken tofu we’ve used in this recipe – the difference is how much water has been pressed out of the tofu. Silken tofu has a high water content and a silky custardy texture, making it perfect for scrambling.

How to cook tofu scramble

Making the tofu scramble part of this recipe is super-quick, so get your eggplant in the oven first. Simply halve the eggplants and score each half with a sharp knife, first in one direction and then the other, to create a diamond-shaped pattern that’s about 1-2cm deep. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through to the skin or your eggplant halves will fall apart. Stir the miso, mirin and garlic together then drizzle over the eggplant, making sure the marinade sinks into your scored lines. Throw them in the oven and forget about them for the next 25 minutes – it’s tofu time.

You can cut the tofu up into small pieces before adding it to the pan or just heat the oil over a medium heat then tip the tofu directly in from its container and use a wooden spoon to break it up as it’s cooking. Add the kecap manis and chilli paste and cook, stirring, until it’s looking deliciously golden.

Now get cooking

If you want to go your own way with some different flavour combinations you can scrap the kecap manis and chilli paste and try some of your favourite scrambled-egg additions. Try cooking some chopped onion and tomato before adding your tofu, or fry onion, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and turmeric in the pan before you add the tofu.

And while we’re talking about turmeric, here's a pro-tip: it’s an excellent addition to your vegan scramble because the tofu takes on its yellow colour and looks even more like the real thing.

After some more tasty tofu ideas? Why not whip up a tasty sticky chilli tofu poké bowl in just 20 minutes? Or, even faster is our quick crumbed tofu with fried rice. Don’t miss our vegetarian mapo tofu recipe - we’ve replaced the traditional pork mince with mushroom mince.