Turkish-Style Vegan Tofu Scramble (Vegan Menemen) Recipe

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated Mar. 06, 2019
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Photographs: J. Kenji López-Alt

Why This Recipe Works

  • Layering flavors into the same skillet results in a more complex finished dish.
  • Soft tofu is an excellent stand-in for softly scrambled eggs.

During the week and a half that I spent in Istanbul, my sisters, my wife, and I must have eaten menemen—eggs scrambled with olive oil, onions, chilies, and tomatoes—at least a dozen times. Traditionally, it's made by slow-cooking onions and hot green chilies in olive oil in a sahan, a shallow, tin-lined vessel that doubles as a serving platter, until tender. They're then seasoned with dried chilies (commonly smoky-hot Urfa peppers) and oregano, then stewed with tomatoes until nice and saucy. The eggs go in at the last moment and are cooked until just barely set. Because it has so many strong flavors and a texture that's easily captured with silken tofu, it works incredibly well as a vegan breakfast.

Recipe Details

Turkish-Style Vegan Tofu Scramble (Vegan Menemen) Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 20 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

  • 1/2 teaspoon (about 2g) crushed Urfa chiles (see note)

  • 1/4 teaspoon (about 1g) dried oregano (optional)

  • 1 small onion, finely diced (about 3/4 cup; 4 ounces; 115g)

  • 3/4 cup finely diced shishito, padrón, or Chinese green long peppers (4 ounces; 115g)

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 cup chopped peeled ripe fresh tomatoes or drained canned tomatoes (4 ounces; 115g)

  • 1 (14- to 16-ounce; about 400g) block soft silken tofu

  • Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

  • Bread, for serving

Directions

  1. In a medium nonstick or cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over low heat until barely warm. Add Urfa chilies, oregano (if using), onion, and peppers. Season with salt and a very generous amount of black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until deepened in color, about 5 minutes longer. Remove half of mixture and reserve.

  2. Add tofu and season with salt and pepper. Cook, folding gently, until tofu is heated through and broken into large curds. Gently fold in reserved vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with bread.

Notes

Urfa chilies are smoky chilies from Turkey. They can be ordered online. If unavailable, substitute regular or smoked paprika.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
196 Calories
14g Fat
10g Carbs
9g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 196
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 18%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 278mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 4%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 29mg 143%
Calcium 134mg 10%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 305mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)