Recipe: Scrambled tofu with crispy chili

Our former colleague Emma de Thouars has a great love for Asian cuisine, and Chinese cuisine in particular. During her travels through Asia, she fell in love with tofu, because with this silky-smooth product you can put the most delicious things on the table. In her new cookbook Tofu, Emma shows you everything you can do with tofu through forty different recipes, including this scrambled tofu with crispy chili.

Emma: “My standard weekend breakfast is bread with scrambled eggs, chili crisp and something fresh. Spring onion, coriander, chives or a combination, whatever I have at home at that moment. Now and then it happens that I don’t have any eggs at home, but do have tofu. That actually works just as well. People often add turmeric to scrambled tofu so that it turns yellow, just like egg. I think that’s nonsense. Tofu is simply delicious on bread, even when it’s white. Do use soft tofu, as it has the same texture as perfectly baveuse scrambled eggs. If you find chili crisp a little too intense for the morning, you can also eat this tofu with rice, but I recommend broadening your horizons a little.”

How to make the tofu with crispy chili

• Cut the slices of bread as straight as possible so that they cook evenly. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the bread in it for a few minutes until golden brown. If you didn’t cut it perfectly, press the parts that remain white down with a spatula or kitchen tongs. Remove from the pan and place, fried side up, on 2 plates.
• Meanwhile, crumble the tofu into a bowl. Wipe the pan clean and heat the crispy chili in it until you see it become slightly more liquid and start to bubble. Add the tofu, salt and black vinegar and let everything simmer for a few minutes. The tofu should release some liquid; make sure all of this liquid evaporates again. Meanwhile, finely chop the chives, spring onion and/or coriander (including the stems). Spoon the tofu onto the bread, finish with the chives, spring onion and/or coriander and serve.

Title: Tofu
Author: Emma de Thouars
Price: €23,99
Publisher: Nijgh & van Ditmar

Read also:

• Jamie’s top tip: do this with your chili peppers from now on
• Why you absolutely need to make Sergio Herman’s chili oil
• Are chili peppers less spicy without seeds?