A few months ago I took part in Bristol Medical School’s Carbon Literacy Training, and as part of this training we had to identify workplace-based actions we will take forward to try and reduce the school’s carbon emissions. My action was to try and encourage the consumption of plant-based foods, which have a much lower impact on the environment than meat and dairy, by sharing some of my favourite plant-based recipes (for a bit more background and the first recipe - gnocchi - see here).
Here’s recipe #2 – Scrambled tofu
Proof that tofu can be delicious, and makes a quick-and-easy lunch to boot – Enjoy!
Scrambled tofu (Serves 2)
Ingredients
A glug of olive oil
1 small garlic clove, crushed and then diced
½ tsp (ish) turmeric powder
½ tsp (ish) salt (any old salt will be fine, but if you can get your hands on ‘kala namak’ salt, I’d definitely recommend using it here. It’s a sulphurous smoked salt which gives the tofu an ‘eggy’ taste and smell – It’s nicer than it sounds, trust me!)
A sprinkling of ground black pepper
200g firm tofu
50 mls (ish) soya milk (or other plant-based alternative – for added decadence, use plant-based cream instead)
A dusting of smoked paprika
1 X 400g tin of plum tomatoes
A couple of slices of good bread, for toasting (you probably want a bread that will hold its crunch and integrity, so a crusty bread or a sourdough would be ideal)
Recipe
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan on a medium heat and add the diced garlic
- After a couple of minutes, add the turmeric, salt and pepper and stir together for about 1 minute
- Crumble the tofu into the saucepan, stirring in to coat it with the other ingredients
- Add the soya milk to the saucepan – You want to tofu to soak in the liquid and become slightly ‘wobbly’ (a bit like scrambled eggs). If the tofu is too wet, crank up the heat to burn off the excess liquid; if the tofu is too dry, add more milk. The tofu should be a vibrant yellow colour, so add more turmeric if it is looking a little pale
- Meanwhile, heat up the tin of plum tomatoes on the hob and pop the toast on
- Plate up, with the scrambled tofu on top of the toast, and dust with some smoked paprika. Place the tomatoes next to the tofu (either on another piece of toast or directly on the plate), and pour over some of the remaining tomato juice from the pan.
Variations: Swap out the tomatoes for griddled asparagus (simply fry on a griddle pan with some salt for 5 or so minutes, until cooked through; ideally buy local and in-season to avoid unnecessary carbon emissions from asparagus flown in from countries such as Mexico, Chile or Peru). Alternatively, serve as part of a larger fry-up (with beans, mushrooms, hash browns, etc.).
