He’s the protector of beancurd

“It’s nice to know that tofu really is good for your health.”
- Bruce Campbell

My Name Is Bruce is due in cinemas October 2008, and DVD January 2009. [IMDb]

Fufu! (aka French-style Scrambled Tofu)

This recipe is long overdue… so here goes…

Most scramble recipes use hard tofu. Personally, I think that’s a bit gross and far too dry… I usually use momen tofu, but silken tofu or maybe a soft medium tofu are also fine for this recipe. The softer the tofu, the more careful you have to be not to overcook it, as it will separate if you’re not careful…

These quantities are rough… if it isn’t obvious. A bit of taste-testing as you go couldn’t hurt… and you should always do that. After all, my ingredients may not be sourced from the same places as yours, and might be a little different in taste. Same goes for any and all recipes you use that you haven’t invented yourself!

Fufu! (aka French-style Scrambled Tofu)

Ingredients
vegetable oil (not olive, it’s too bitter for this)
large pinch of turmeric
scant tablespoon Braggs soy sauce (or another gluten-free dark soy sauce or tamari)
scant tablespoon savoury yeast flakes (aka nutritional yeast)
mushrooms, sliced (2-4 buttons)
spinach or chard, chopped (around a large handful)
half a block of momen (silken to medium) tofu (around 375g)
salt and pepper
toast & tomato wedges to serve

Method
1. In a non-stick frying pan, heat up a little oil on high heat. Fry mushrooms until near done, then add spinach, stir until just wilted.
2. Turn down heat to low. Push mushrooms and spinach to the side. Add a splash more oil, and fry the turmeric for a few seconds.

3. Add tofu to pan, breaking it roughly.

Add soy sauce, savory yeast flakes, a little salt and pepper.

Stir until combined.

4. Stir the mushrooms and spinach into the scramble. Stir gently until tofu is heated through. (Do not overcook, or the water will separate from the tofu!).

5. Serve over gluten-free toast, with a side of tomato wedges.

Notes
+ You can do this without the mushrooms and spinach, but they really lift the flavour. Other things I add sometimes include: diced shallots, diced green beans, chopped kale.
+ Some people like adding dried mixed herbs to their scramble… I don’t! Yuck. (I’m a purist about my scramble, can you tell?) Sometimes I add a TINY bit of chopped fresh basil or parsley.
+ This is a good base recipe for scrambled tofu. You could add all sorts of things to it… but I like it nice and simple. I think breakfast should be quick and easy! If you’re going to do a big cooked breakfast, you could do some sides like gluten-free soy sausages, tempeh bacon, cooked tomatoes, avocado, salsa, and cook the spinach and mushrooms separately with garlic.
+ Nutritional/savoury yeast is not the same as other yeasts, like brewers yeast or whatnot. DO NOT REPLACE WITH OTHER YEASTS or it will taste rather awful. Go down to your health food shop and harass them until they give you some. It’s tasty and worth the effort, and you can also make vegan cheese out of it… and I’ll be posting recipes for cheese soon!

_________________________________________

And on another note…

This isn’t organic, sadly, but… check this out:

2.5kg cans of tomato! Big enough for ya? … Yep. It sure is. Methinks these cans will keep me going for a while…

Indonesian Tofu Rendang

This rendang has been approved by a friend who grew up in Indonesia, and was created by my partner who has travelled there. It’s fantastic.

Ingredients
400mL can coconut cream
400mL can coconut milk
5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 large onions, finely diced
1 teaspoon laos powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 inch piece ginger, grated
4 tablespoons of vegetarian hot red curry paste*
curry leaves (fresh, instead of dry, if possible!)
4 tablespoons tamarind (or lemon juice if tamarind is unavailable)
500g fried tofu
wheat-free light soy sauce, to taste
fresh coriander to taste, chopped
fresh hot chillis, chopped (optional)
rice, to serve

Method
Reduce 1/2 of a can of coconut cream in a wok until it starts to become oily.
Add crushed cloves of garlic and fry them for a few seconds.
Add onions and fry everything until the onions are cooked.
Add laos powder, coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Stir briefly.
Add fresh grated ginger, curry paste, curry leaves.
Stir the lot until it becomes aromatic.
Add tamarind to taste.
Add the rest of the coconut cream and the can of coconut milk.
Add fried tofu.
Add wheat-free light soy sauce to taste.
Reduce until it is very thick. For best results, reduce over low heat for a few hours+.
Serve with rice. Top with fresh coriander and extra chillis (optional… you wuss).

Notes:
I tend to do alot of things to taste, so the quantities can vary a little. Taste test as you go!
You can also add vegetable stock before you reduce the mix, if you want that flavour soaked into the tofu (just remember to be light with the soy sauce if you do).
If you can’t get wheat-free light soy sauce, use Braggs or wheat-free tamari – but very sparingly! These are dark soy sauce rather than light.

*Curry Paste:
Any vegetarian Thai-style curry paste will do. The hotter the better – rendang should be wonderfully burning. Using vegetarian red curry paste is an alternative to spending time pounding lemon grass into paste. Just don’t use one containing prawn/shrimp paste, because (a) it has a different flavour, (b) it’s not vegetarian or vegan, (c) yuck!, and (d) I’m allergic to crustacea.

To make your own curry paste for this recipe, mix together:
5 stalks of lemon grass, chopped finely, then ground to paste.
5 large hot chillis ground to paste (with seeds).

Gluten-free vegan food pr0n

Fear not, I’m still alive. I’ve just been going through some wisdom teeth hell… but I’ve still been eating and photographing! Here’s a few of the latest pics:

My first ever gluten-free pizza: a success!

Getting our slice on.

Scrambled tofu with spinach and mushroom on toast. Tastiest breakfast in the universe.

Chocolate sugar cookies, made with rice and chickpea flour. An odd texture, but tasty!

A yeast-risen gluten-free loaf that sunk in the middle a bit, but tasted great.

A small yeast-free loaf in a big pan! It split a bit on top.

Mmm, tastyriffic.