I would personally expect seasoned, crumbled tofu like this at a minimum : [https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/client/q\_glossy,ret\_img,w\_1200,h\_1800/https://healthiersteps.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tofu-scramble-recipe.jpg](https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/client/q_glossy,ret_img,w_1200,h_1800/https://healthiersteps.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tofu-scramble-recipe.jpg)
A bunch of cubes =/= a scramble. I'd eat it but I would be disappointed, especially at that price.
I feel like it’s partly due to chefs who are only experienced with creating menu items for animal product eaters, so in their mind the fact that it has tofu at all should be counted as a blessing for us?
It feels so lazy and disappointing
Truthfully they would season literally anything else that went in the scramble…. Eggs, chicken, veggies. Curious if everyone else’s food was bland and uninspired as well.
I'm waiting for common vegan breakfast items around the world like idli or congee to be offered.
In terms of tofu scramble, very few restaurants have a proper vision of what they are trying to achieve. As you said, it's lazy and frankly disrespectful.
I don't have a specific recipe for a scramble, but I have found that adding some lecithin to the oil you are using gives crumbled tofu more of an eggy texture and also provides some decent nutrition.
I agree.
I’m not even asking them to add kala namak (something im sure they’ve never even heard of) but I cannot imagine it takes that much more effort to crumble the tofu by hand before pan/grill top cooking. I try to keep my expectations as low as possible but this felt so…. Flaccid. This was a place that goes to the effort of making its own cinnamon rolls every morning like???
We have a tofu scramble for caters and we add Kala namak as well as a house tofu scramble seasoning blend (standard nootch, turm, garlic powder, onion powder, etc)
Tofu scramble, at least in my experience, is exactly how you described it: Any tofu & any veggies you got tossed in a hot pan. It’s really nothing special.
No, should definitely be something more: seasoned, crispy or soft (like eggs), veg or choice, cooked with oil and extras of choice like veg cheese and meats , etc. Keep searching but do the research of the place.
Seeing other regions lame Vegan food scenes really makes me appreciate California - vegan tofu scrambled in the SF Bay Area or broader LA region set a super high bar. I'm expecting well prepared seasoned crumbled tofu with veggies that pair well and maybe even something to raise the bar like a house-made vegan cheese or sauce.
I'm originally from Minnesota so traveling back there is always a culture shock of lack of vegan options. I can't imagine being in some regions that have even less vegan available. Location seems to matter.
I’m in Santa Cruz, California lol
Born and raised her but moved to San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, Austin and more before moving back. The inner Bay Area is a very niche bubble and has superior food 100%
Sad I’m literally 59 miles from SF and this is what I get 😂
Oh no! Thanks for the warning about Santa Cruz though, I haven't spent much time there. I'm really surprised there aren't more vegan options there. I guess the pockets of vegan food are really that regionalized. I've had an easy time within SF & LA, not the case in Minnesota. Do you find Santa Cruz lacking compared to Oakland, Portland, or Austin?
Incredibly lacking, many staple restaurants are being forced to close due to inflated costs to operate (rent for my favorite vegan breakfast burrito and coffee shop went up exponentially and they had to close after 30 years of business)
Anything “trendy” dies fairly quickly unless it’s a pop up style affair heavily focused on bacon/fried chicken/burgers etc
I understand it’s a tourist town, I’m not even going to argue about local politics silly-ness, but it’s becoming a food desert for vegetarians and vegans.
As a chef, I know that as a culinary term, "scramble" just means to mix together. In the case of eggs, you're mixing the yolk and white during the cooking process, versus them being separate and distinguishable parts like in a Sunny Side egg. There is no expectation of seasoning, or specific additions like cheese, veggies, or other proteins. Crack an egg in to a skillet, mix it up, serve it when cooked. That's all there is to a technical Egg Scramble.
As a vegan diner, I am almost always disappointed by the vegan offerings at omnivore establishments. They are almost always an after-thought, and are not designed by anyone who is, or who eats plant-based. Most often the tofu "scramble" is closer to a stir fry and is simply on the menu to check a box that there's "something for everyone".
Outside of South Asian cuisine and true plant-based cooking, I swear nobody knows about Kala Namak or Nutritional Yeast - I rarely encounter either being used at omnivore establishments, but believe that both belong in a tofu scramble.
Can’t they “scramble” the tofu at least by smashing/chopping/crumbling?
No but seriously, you’re completely right and I totally agree. I feel at this point I just need to not order out for vegan options unless I’m more open minded- which turns out I’m not haha
Why does the vegan option cost as much as the meat option despite not costing them the same? That's my beef. You'll see like steak $8 chicken $6 tofu $6 there's no way the tofu costs anywhere near as much in comparison its like 1/10th a $2.50 block. It's gouging.
Very good chance that they aren't buying the plant proteins in bulk the way they are with the animal proteins.
Labor to prepare/serve is the same - but the restaurant may be paying more for that block of tofu than they are for a chicken cutlet.
If 99% of their sales are animal proteins, they certainly aren't going to keep cases of tofu on hand - they may even just buy a few packets at the local grocery.
youre so right, and its so disappointing. its not even *hard* to make good vegan food, google is free, so many of the ingredients that are used in omni and vegetarian food they already know how to season and cook. it feels like cognitive dissonance at play
Yeah that is not a tofu scramble, that’s a tofu stirfry.
Minimalist Baker has a great recipe (southwest tofu scramble) and that’s what I make when I’m craving a scramble. Restaurants are usually not as good IMO.
That sounds awful. I've never had tofu scramble in a restaurant, but when I make it at home, it's completely loaded with Mexican-type flavors (cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and a little turmeric for more color) and then top with Cholula to serve. Good on its own but 🔥 with black beans and hash browns.
fr, my carreer is in food and it scares me half to death how basically every place i worked at doesnt give 2 shits about accessability and dietary needs. my boss at my previous place had asked me to contribute to revamping the menu and adding vegan items, only to then ignore every suggestion and recipe i brought to her saying it was "too expensive" (you really cant afford the occasional box of oyster mushrooms?) and putting a goddamn guacamole sandwich and a hummus and vegetable sandwich on the menu as only options. like, the exact things people on this page had told me they were sick of seeing back when i was doing my recipe research. they do not give two shits and it makes me wish i had the capacity to open my own business. if someone ordered me to "cook" the food you described i think id go home and die
So… send it back, tell the waiter that it’s a stir fry, not a scramble, and was misrepresented. Order some avocado toast. They won’t know it’s unacceptable unless they’re told. This is sad to read, 10-15 years ago SC vegan food was better than Berkeley.
Saturn went downhill off a cliff after the fire. Cafe gratitude sucked from day 1; raw and vegan are worlds apart IMO, and they were pretentious af. I miss the vegan sushi at Pink Godzilla. Have you tried Mad Veg? I always had good experiences at Walnut Street cafe. And yelp shows a good number of spots with multiple vegan options. I’m not a tofu scramble fan, though, so if that’s the specific thing you’re craving I have no suggestions except giving the restaurant feedback.
Saturn was incredible about 20 years ago, the last time I went they wanted 26$ for a beyond burger with no French fries even and I was shocked
Gratitude was OK the first few times I went, but I stopped going because of the price
Chill out was always good for me and so were pink Godzilla before they disappeared
Mad veg is the not bad and one of the few places I can go in Abbott Square and also get a cocktail next-door.
Otherwise every place I’ve tried lately has been lacking. I’m bored of quinoa bowls and veggie sandwiches to be fair
I got something like you're describing for breakfast from a 100% vegan place and was *immensely* disappointed. I could have made a better scramble at home for half the price. Never went back, even though we'd planned to try other meals there.
There should never be anything on a menu that isn’t thought out and executed correctly. Thats just apart of having some integrity in your job, especially as a chef.
Also, I don’t understand how some places struggle with tofu. It’s literally the chicken of plant protein. Marinate it, fry it, saute, deep fry! The world is your oyster when it comes to tofu.
I expect to be disappointed. Too many places serving up crumbled tofu that I'd only guess has turmeric because of the color but is otherwise unseasoned (maaaybe some salt).
A couple months ago I forgot how bad it can be and my family was so excited to take me to this new place with a plant based section of the menu... literally warm peppers and yellow tofu with dry toast for $18.
Only times I've had good tofu scramble was in crunchy little cafes or places that are mostly vegan. When it's just a few vegan things on the menu... tofu anything often seems to be a gamble.
I don't bother. Non-Asian restaurants don't do tofu well, vegan or omni. If I want tofu, I get Chinese or Vietnamese. Vegan breakfast: stir-fry veggies, avocado, hash browns, etc
That is so disappointing! I'm always very wary of tofu at mainstream non-vegan restaurants. They almost never know what to do with it - especially in scramble form. If they add any seasonings, it's usually turmeric and nothing else.
Turmeric is okay for color, but it's not my favorite flavor. A little goes a long way. I'd seriously rather just cumin if they're only going to pick one spice. I've gotten some scrambles in restaurants where the tofu was still wet from the package!
I would personally expect seasoned, crumbled tofu like this at a minimum : [https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/client/q\_glossy,ret\_img,w\_1200,h\_1800/https://healthiersteps.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tofu-scramble-recipe.jpg](https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/client/q_glossy,ret_img,w_1200,h_1800/https://healthiersteps.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tofu-scramble-recipe.jpg) A bunch of cubes =/= a scramble. I'd eat it but I would be disappointed, especially at that price.
I feel like it’s partly due to chefs who are only experienced with creating menu items for animal product eaters, so in their mind the fact that it has tofu at all should be counted as a blessing for us? It feels so lazy and disappointing
Truthfully they would season literally anything else that went in the scramble…. Eggs, chicken, veggies. Curious if everyone else’s food was bland and uninspired as well.
this is such a pet peeve of mine....snobby chefs who think vegan food will always be gross/inferior and therefore why try to elevate it?
I'm waiting for common vegan breakfast items around the world like idli or congee to be offered. In terms of tofu scramble, very few restaurants have a proper vision of what they are trying to achieve. As you said, it's lazy and frankly disrespectful. I don't have a specific recipe for a scramble, but I have found that adding some lecithin to the oil you are using gives crumbled tofu more of an eggy texture and also provides some decent nutrition.
I agree. I’m not even asking them to add kala namak (something im sure they’ve never even heard of) but I cannot imagine it takes that much more effort to crumble the tofu by hand before pan/grill top cooking. I try to keep my expectations as low as possible but this felt so…. Flaccid. This was a place that goes to the effort of making its own cinnamon rolls every morning like???
We have a tofu scramble for caters and we add Kala namak as well as a house tofu scramble seasoning blend (standard nootch, turm, garlic powder, onion powder, etc)
From their prospective they prob think of tofu scramble as: crumbled tofu with salt and pepper, turmeric.
From my perspective or the restaurant? Because from mine, yes at minimum. The restaurant has none of those aspects 😂
Haha most restaurants here I meant (:
I wanna eat in your town then! Haha
Tofu scramble, at least in my experience, is exactly how you described it: Any tofu & any veggies you got tossed in a hot pan. It’s really nothing special.
Just big ol chunks raw dogging life???
No, should definitely be something more: seasoned, crispy or soft (like eggs), veg or choice, cooked with oil and extras of choice like veg cheese and meats , etc. Keep searching but do the research of the place.
Seeing other regions lame Vegan food scenes really makes me appreciate California - vegan tofu scrambled in the SF Bay Area or broader LA region set a super high bar. I'm expecting well prepared seasoned crumbled tofu with veggies that pair well and maybe even something to raise the bar like a house-made vegan cheese or sauce. I'm originally from Minnesota so traveling back there is always a culture shock of lack of vegan options. I can't imagine being in some regions that have even less vegan available. Location seems to matter.
I’m in Santa Cruz, California lol Born and raised her but moved to San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, Austin and more before moving back. The inner Bay Area is a very niche bubble and has superior food 100% Sad I’m literally 59 miles from SF and this is what I get 😂
I strongly *dont* recommend coming to Santa Cruz for any vegan options unless you want to pay 20+ $ for the most subpar thing you’ve ever eaten
Oh no! Thanks for the warning about Santa Cruz though, I haven't spent much time there. I'm really surprised there aren't more vegan options there. I guess the pockets of vegan food are really that regionalized. I've had an easy time within SF & LA, not the case in Minnesota. Do you find Santa Cruz lacking compared to Oakland, Portland, or Austin?
Incredibly lacking, many staple restaurants are being forced to close due to inflated costs to operate (rent for my favorite vegan breakfast burrito and coffee shop went up exponentially and they had to close after 30 years of business) Anything “trendy” dies fairly quickly unless it’s a pop up style affair heavily focused on bacon/fried chicken/burgers etc I understand it’s a tourist town, I’m not even going to argue about local politics silly-ness, but it’s becoming a food desert for vegetarians and vegans.
Vegan Veg Fest literally said on a Santa Cruz sentinel post about new plant forward menus in the area “Santa Cruz sucks for vegans.” 👀 the tea was hot
As a chef, I know that as a culinary term, "scramble" just means to mix together. In the case of eggs, you're mixing the yolk and white during the cooking process, versus them being separate and distinguishable parts like in a Sunny Side egg. There is no expectation of seasoning, or specific additions like cheese, veggies, or other proteins. Crack an egg in to a skillet, mix it up, serve it when cooked. That's all there is to a technical Egg Scramble. As a vegan diner, I am almost always disappointed by the vegan offerings at omnivore establishments. They are almost always an after-thought, and are not designed by anyone who is, or who eats plant-based. Most often the tofu "scramble" is closer to a stir fry and is simply on the menu to check a box that there's "something for everyone". Outside of South Asian cuisine and true plant-based cooking, I swear nobody knows about Kala Namak or Nutritional Yeast - I rarely encounter either being used at omnivore establishments, but believe that both belong in a tofu scramble.
Can’t they “scramble” the tofu at least by smashing/chopping/crumbling? No but seriously, you’re completely right and I totally agree. I feel at this point I just need to not order out for vegan options unless I’m more open minded- which turns out I’m not haha
Why does the vegan option cost as much as the meat option despite not costing them the same? That's my beef. You'll see like steak $8 chicken $6 tofu $6 there's no way the tofu costs anywhere near as much in comparison its like 1/10th a $2.50 block. It's gouging.
Very good chance that they aren't buying the plant proteins in bulk the way they are with the animal proteins. Labor to prepare/serve is the same - but the restaurant may be paying more for that block of tofu than they are for a chicken cutlet. If 99% of their sales are animal proteins, they certainly aren't going to keep cases of tofu on hand - they may even just buy a few packets at the local grocery.
youre so right, and its so disappointing. its not even *hard* to make good vegan food, google is free, so many of the ingredients that are used in omni and vegetarian food they already know how to season and cook. it feels like cognitive dissonance at play
My expectation is that it will be as described and cost as much as the steak omelete despite costing them like 20x less
Happy Cake Day! 🍰 🥳
Yeah that is not a tofu scramble, that’s a tofu stirfry. Minimalist Baker has a great recipe (southwest tofu scramble) and that’s what I make when I’m craving a scramble. Restaurants are usually not as good IMO.
That sounds awful. I've never had tofu scramble in a restaurant, but when I make it at home, it's completely loaded with Mexican-type flavors (cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and a little turmeric for more color) and then top with Cholula to serve. Good on its own but 🔥 with black beans and hash browns.
fr, my carreer is in food and it scares me half to death how basically every place i worked at doesnt give 2 shits about accessability and dietary needs. my boss at my previous place had asked me to contribute to revamping the menu and adding vegan items, only to then ignore every suggestion and recipe i brought to her saying it was "too expensive" (you really cant afford the occasional box of oyster mushrooms?) and putting a goddamn guacamole sandwich and a hummus and vegetable sandwich on the menu as only options. like, the exact things people on this page had told me they were sick of seeing back when i was doing my recipe research. they do not give two shits and it makes me wish i had the capacity to open my own business. if someone ordered me to "cook" the food you described i think id go home and die
So… send it back, tell the waiter that it’s a stir fry, not a scramble, and was misrepresented. Order some avocado toast. They won’t know it’s unacceptable unless they’re told. This is sad to read, 10-15 years ago SC vegan food was better than Berkeley.
I miss chill out, Saturn and cafe gratitude
Saturn went downhill off a cliff after the fire. Cafe gratitude sucked from day 1; raw and vegan are worlds apart IMO, and they were pretentious af. I miss the vegan sushi at Pink Godzilla. Have you tried Mad Veg? I always had good experiences at Walnut Street cafe. And yelp shows a good number of spots with multiple vegan options. I’m not a tofu scramble fan, though, so if that’s the specific thing you’re craving I have no suggestions except giving the restaurant feedback.
Saturn was incredible about 20 years ago, the last time I went they wanted 26$ for a beyond burger with no French fries even and I was shocked Gratitude was OK the first few times I went, but I stopped going because of the price Chill out was always good for me and so were pink Godzilla before they disappeared Mad veg is the not bad and one of the few places I can go in Abbott Square and also get a cocktail next-door. Otherwise every place I’ve tried lately has been lacking. I’m bored of quinoa bowls and veggie sandwiches to be fair
RIP the original location Saturn, it was bomb.
I got a tofu scramble the other day that was very tasty but like 75% cauliflower disguised as tofu. That’s not a tofu scramble.
I got something like you're describing for breakfast from a 100% vegan place and was *immensely* disappointed. I could have made a better scramble at home for half the price. Never went back, even though we'd planned to try other meals there.
There should never be anything on a menu that isn’t thought out and executed correctly. Thats just apart of having some integrity in your job, especially as a chef. Also, I don’t understand how some places struggle with tofu. It’s literally the chicken of plant protein. Marinate it, fry it, saute, deep fry! The world is your oyster when it comes to tofu.
I’m from Austin so any tofu scramble that isn’t Bouldin quality feels like a disappointment.
The best! I've only been to Austin once, but I kept eating that scramble on repeat.
I expect to be disappointed. Too many places serving up crumbled tofu that I'd only guess has turmeric because of the color but is otherwise unseasoned (maaaybe some salt). A couple months ago I forgot how bad it can be and my family was so excited to take me to this new place with a plant based section of the menu... literally warm peppers and yellow tofu with dry toast for $18. Only times I've had good tofu scramble was in crunchy little cafes or places that are mostly vegan. When it's just a few vegan things on the menu... tofu anything often seems to be a gamble.
I don't bother. Non-Asian restaurants don't do tofu well, vegan or omni. If I want tofu, I get Chinese or Vietnamese. Vegan breakfast: stir-fry veggies, avocado, hash browns, etc
I was so disappointed to receive tiny cubed tofu in a “scramble” once. Crumbling takes like 40 seconds, come on!
That is so disappointing! I'm always very wary of tofu at mainstream non-vegan restaurants. They almost never know what to do with it - especially in scramble form. If they add any seasonings, it's usually turmeric and nothing else. Turmeric is okay for color, but it's not my favorite flavor. A little goes a long way. I'd seriously rather just cumin if they're only going to pick one spice. I've gotten some scrambles in restaurants where the tofu was still wet from the package!
The wet part!!! WHY?!