Sunny Side Up Vegan “Egg”
Since cutting eggs out from my diet, I have not found myself really craving any kind of eggs. I have definitely craved awesome breakfast sandwiches and awesome brunches, but thanks to tofu, veggies, and beans being awesome, I have always been able to have the food of my dreams.
One thing that I was missing, not due to missing the taste but more out of nostalgia, was a sunny side up egg. I have what is almost an unhealthy obsession with breakfast sandwiches. I think it’s because when I eat one I feel like a kid again. It reminds me of Sundays with my family, dad cooking up his famous French toast and eggs, all of us enjoying a comforting meal together. It reminds me of making vegetarian breakfast sandwiches for my roommates while living in Hawaii and watching them take huge bites and love it.
I have seen some great looking recipes for vegan “eggs” online, but I wanted to create one that was a bit easier and that incorporated easy to find ingredients. At the local wet markets, there are always one to two tofu stalls. They have every kind of tofu imaginable, which I would really like to write a post about someday! One kind of tofu they have comes in a big log shape, usually wrapped with cheesecloth. It’s super firm and dry, so there is no need to press it. The texture is great for this recipe! I have also used it for my Lemon Pepper Tofu recipe.
You *gotta* have the black or pink kala namak salt this recipe to give it the sulfuric hues that will have you reliving you childhood weekend breakfasts all over again.
This recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 log of super firm, round tofu, sliced into 4 rounds about 3/4 inch think (the ends can be saved for eating later)
- 1/3 C water
- 1 tbs nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp tapioca starch
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- dash of onion powder and garlic powder (optional)
- kala namak salt
- cooking oil
Directions:
- Using a small spoon, scrape out the center of the tofu rounds, about 1-1.5 inch in diameter. Be careful not to scrape out to deep because you want to keep the bottom in tact.
- In a bowl, mix water, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, turmeric and if using, onion and garlic powder. Mix vigorously so all ingredients are well combined.
- In a small saucepan, pour mixture in and heat over medium heat, mixing frequently. The tapioca starch will activate and start to thicken the mixture. Because there isn’t much liquid, this will cook very quickly, so be careful and reduce heat as necessary so as not to burn the mixture. Once thickened, remove mixture from heat.
- In a frying pan, heat a bit of cooking oil on medium high heat. Once heated, place scraped side down into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Flip tofu and add a spoonful of prepared mixture into the tofu rounds and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Again, watch the heat so it doesn’t burn and adjust as necessary.
- Remove “fried egg” from heat and top generously with kala namak salt.
Serve alongside your favorite breakfast or brunch dishes, or as part of your favorite Asian inside dishes that call for fried egg. Enjoy the nostalgia!