This flavor-packed tofu scramble masala is made with Indian-spiced crumbled tofu, hearty chickpeas and red pepper chunks, topped off with fresh cilantro!

My boyfriend and I started a little distraction game during the workday back when I was working a regular 9 to 5 lawyer gig. See, I would sit in front of a computer all day. He didn’t. So all day long he would text me trivia questions that would ideally be a bit challenging but researchable online. Just a five minute distraction, to break up the day.

Sometimes the questions were random. “What woman did Steve Martin write L.A. Story about?”

Often, they involved his interests (translation, Star Wars). “How many actors played Darth Vader in all six films?”

Other times, they involved mine (translation, food). “What do they eat for breakfast in India?”

They do not eat this dish for breakfast in India, at least as far as I could tell from my five minutes worth of research. But his question did make me realize this was something I was absolutely clueless on. In the brief few seconds before I found my answers, the idea for this dish was born. It was kinda like, “Hmmmm well what do I think they eat for breakfast in India? Probably eggs with Indian spices, because, you know, that’s what they do everywhere, eat eggs flavored with whatever seasonings are locally popular…”

Actually no, that’s not the case at all. But that won’t stop me from subbing tofu in these imaginary egg dishes, in turn coming up with something completely new. It tastes good, so who cares?

Interestingly, the key ingredient in this dish is a teeny bit of ketchup. If you leave it out the dish will be bland. I got the idea for that from an Indian friend who fed me delicious food for years while we worked together. She confessed one day that the secret ingredient in one of her curries was ketchup. So when I made this and initially felt like a little tartness was missing, I went right for the ketchup, and it worked! Even just the small amount in this recipe was enough to get the flavor just right.

At some point I hope to share something along the lines of what they really eat for breakfast in India. For now, let’s enjoy this. It’s quick, easy, delicious and requires zero research. Breakfast is early, so that works just fine for me.





4 from 1 vote Print Tofu Scramble Masala This flavor-packed tofu scramble masala is made with Indian-spiced crumbled tofu, hearty chickpeas and red pepper chunks, topped off with fresh cilantro! Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Total Time 20 minutes Servings 4 Author Alissa Ingredients 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 onion diced

3 garlic cloves minced

1 lb. extra firm tofu drained and pressed for at least 15 minutes

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes

2 tbsp. garam masala

1 tbsp. ketchup

2 tsp. turmeric

1 red bell pepper diced

14 oz. can chickpeas rinsed and drained

1/4 cup fresh cilantro Instructions Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Crumble tofu into skillet. Sauté until it just begins to dry out a bit, about 3 minutes. Add soy sauce, nutritional yeast, garam masala, ketchup, turmeric, pepper and chickpeas to skillet. Mix to blend everything. Sauté until peppers become slightly tender and tofu dries out a bit more, about 3 more minutes. Serve on toast, alone or wrapped up in tortillas. Top with cilantro. Recipe Notes Adapted from this tofu scramble recipe that I posed a while back.

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