I came up with this simple spice mix for tofu back in 2018. I had been looking for a tofu recipe (since I had no original ideas for tofu not being a vegan or vegetarian) but I couldn’t find anything desirable so I had to improvise in the end anyway – the irony!

The original recipe calls for the use of soft tofu, which will give you an amazing scrambled tofu dish (it will look and taste like eggs or even better!). It is so far my own favourite tofu recipe out of the ones I’ve cooked so I dare to recommend it to you all.

The more recent version of this recipe saw the use of firm tofu instead and I omitted onions for my low FODMAP people! I didn’t miss the onions at all and I liked the firm tofu, but I will stick to the original soft tofu simply because it takes in SO much more flavour and remains really juicy. The firm tofu would probably need to be marinated a bit longer in the spice mix or you could benefit from an additional sauce as it can be a bit on the dry side compared to soft tofu.

Here’s what you’ll need:
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 hot paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
a bit of water to mix
+ 200g soft tofu
2 cups of kale
1/2 red onion
1 pepper

Heat vegetable or olive oil in a pan. Drain the tofu and crumble it onto a pan. Pour the spice mix/sauce over the tofu and fry on high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow it to soak in the flavours and colours.

Tip: if you allow it to cook for longer, you can even brown the soft tofu and give it a slightly crispy exterior while it remains soft on the inside. It’s incredibly tasty!

Add chopped onion and pepper and fry for a few more minutes. You can add kale to the scramble or blanche it separately like I did. Just clean the pan (I used a wok this time) and throw a generous amount of kale on it and add a bit of water. 1-2 minutes is all you need – you’ll be able to tell from the colour of the leaves as they turn into vibrant green.

Your gorgeous colourful dish will be ready in about 10 minutes! And all under 250kcal! ☺️

I’m not vegan myself nor will I ever become one – I’m sorry – but I do love meat free dishes. When I cook something without animal protein, it’s usually because I have not felt like eating anything heavy and too hard to digest or I have wanted to increase my vegetable intake. In this case it was to eat this gorgeous bright dish that should, according to science, make me happier given that Curcumin can boost the happy hormones in our brains (re my Instagram post).

Whether you’re an omnivore or a herbivore, always remember to love your body by using a variety of ingredients for a variety of macro and micronutrients!