Inspired by Invita - a recipe for Scrambled Tofu
76 Therry Street, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9329 1267
Both EG and I absolutely adore tofu - silken, firm, puffed or frozen. We eat it dressed with tamari and sesame oil, or pan fried in teriyaki ginger sauce, or stuffed with fish paste in a soup, or cubed in miso. I could go on. In fact…I will. I have even converted EG into the delights of tofu mixed in with our morning breakfast of five grain porridge!
So we were quite impressed when we came upon this scrambled tofu dish at Invita, an outdoor cafe at the Queen Victoria Market that professes a somewhat healthy, fresh and organic bent. My only problem with the place is my comfort level in the winter. It really is quite chilling to place ones arse on their cold metal seats and basque in the glory of their tofuness.
Despite that, their coffee is hot (and a good brew to boot), and I can highly recommend their fruit toast as well. The not-bacon on the other hand is an acquired taste and should be avoided at all cost. What travesty.
Anyway, back to the scrambled tofu. The first thing that hit me was the sweetness of caramalised onion and carrot - those babies had been cooking for quite some time. Then rehydrated shitake added some earthiness, tumeric some pepperyness, and wilted spinach some body. And it was all freshened up with long thin slices of cucumber. Some toasted sourdough to the side, and baby, it was health on a plate.
I was so inspired after that (..and Invita, don’t hate me), I decided to recreate the dish at home. Well…they are not bloody open for dinner, are they?
RECIPE: Scrambled Tofu (Invita-style)
1 block of firm organic tofu
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium carrot, grated
4 dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated in hot water for 30 minutes, sliced
A couple of handfuls of baby spinach
1 tsp turmeric
Cracked black pepper and sea salt (to taste)
1 red chilli (optional)
1 cucumber, sliced into strips
Coriander leaves for garnish
Whatever bread you love, toasted
Place olive oil, onions and carrots into a fry pan and cook gently on a low heat for approx 10-15 minutes (you want these to caramalise and sweeten). Add the chilli, turmeric, shitake and spinach and cook until the spinach begins to wilt. Crumble the tofu into the pan and heat through, perhaps turning the heat up just a little to give it a last burst of heat. Note: be careful not to turn the tofu into mush. Season with cracked black pepper and salt.
To serve: place the scrambles on a warmed plate and garnish with cucumber and coriander. Add a toasted bagel or some sour dough and dig in.
Written by mellie on
June 23rd, 2008 | Tags: Invita, Queen Victoria Market, recipes, tofu, vegetarian | Category: dining experiences, recipes
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June 24th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I really should get to the market more often! This looks so yummy! Vida x
June 27th, 2008 at 6:12 am
Invita ticks so many boxes for me but never quite delivers. Yes it is cold and sometimes windy (last time I tried to eat there I got attacked by a rogue piece of fixture flying around) which doesn’t entice me to eat. But it was the time I waited 15 minutes at 10 am on a week day (ie: a quiet time) for a coffee that I gave up on them. The order still not made so I cancelled it and left. They do good things with tofu though!
June 27th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Hey vida - i just love the market, especially as it’s my “local”
Hey aof - I actually have to agree with you there. The service is often lackadaisical, and yes, I too have experienced stupidly long waits for coffee. It’s unfortunate at their food can be quite good. They would so rock if they fixed their chairs, buffered the weather and improved their order to table speed.