Tofu Scramble with Shredded Cabbage & Chilli Sambal

It goes without saying that I love scrambled eggs, but these days I seem to be eating scrambled tofu more often. It can be very basic – just scrambled with a little tamari – or a bit more involved, like this dish. I spent so many years cooking scrambled eggs at 6am that I have a recurring nightmare: customers are waiting outside, I’ve overslept and am now in the kitchen cooking eggs in the nude. I fear this has made me prefer tofu.

CHILLI SAMBAL

5 red chillies, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 2.5cm piece galangal, peeled and roughly

chopped

2.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly

chopped

1 large French shallot, roughly chopped 3 tablespoons light-flavoured oil

1 tablespoon chilli flakes

60g palm sugar, crumbled or grated 2 teaspoons tamarind paste

1 tablespoon tamari

Juice of ½ lime

TOFU SCRAMBLE

2 tablespoons light-flavoured oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated 4 spring onions, finely chopped

1 ½ teaspoons curry powder

1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric

1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander 560g silken tofu

TO SERVE

¼ sweet heart cabbage (or firm white cabbage),

shredded

½ cucumber, peeled into ribbons

1 large handful mint leaves

1 large handful coriander leaves

Juice of 1 lime

Olive oil

4 slices sourdough bread

4 tablespoons crispy shallots

Chilli sambal: Mix the chillies, garlic, galangal, ginger and shallot to a paste in a small food processor or mortar and pestle.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the paste for 5-8 minutes until dark red and fragrant. Add the chilli flakes and palm sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar.

Add the tamarind paste and tamari and cook for a further 2-5 minutes until the sauce is thick. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice and leave to cool. This can be stored in the fridge for up to a month.

Tofu scramble: Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium–high heat. Fry the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then add the spring onions, curry powder, turmeric and coriander and fry, stirring, for a further minute. Crumble in the silken tofu and stir to coat in the spice mixture – the tofu will look like scrambled eggs.

To serve, toss together the cabbage, cucumber and herbs with the lime juice and a good splash of olive oil. Season well.

Toast the bread under a hot grill until golden. Top each slice of toast with tofu and add a handful of cabbage, cucumber and herbs.

Sprinkle with crispy shallots and serve with a generous spoonful of chilli sambal. Serves 4