An easy, delicious plant-based version reminiscent of egg salad!
One of our absolute favorite lunches is Egg-ish Salad. I forget where I first heard about black salt and how it gives food a sulfur taste reminiscent of an egg yolk, and making a tofu sandwich spread that reminds one of egg salad, but I have now been making this for years!
In my mind, the black salt is key. I was after something that reminded me of egg salad, something I always loved. If you never liked eggs, or are trying to remove all memories of a pre-plant-based past, it won’t be necessary. But if you are just transitioning or want those familiar flavors, it is an important ingredient.
The black salt is also an example of how we can take foods and make them into something closer to another food. Much of our experience of food is not just in the taste, but also the smell and the visuals, in fact smell is a key component to how we taste food. The black salt gives that sulphurous smell of egg yolks, and the turmeric gives the color. Learning the ingredients to use to make these associations can not only help make the transition to a plant-based diet easier, but can also make the food less strange and more enjoyable to those who aren’t eating a fully plant-based diet.
You can find black salt, also known as kala namak, at an Indian grocery or online.
I have never been that satisfied with the mustards in the store, so have been making my own. Once you try it, is is so easy, you will never want to go back to store bought. There are a lot of great recipes out there, but this one has become my go-to.
Egg-ish salad is also quite amazing with other toppings, such as kimchi or sauerkraut.
Recipe
Egg-ish Salad
Ingredients
- 1 14 ounce tofu drained,extra firm
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 bunch scallions
- 4 ribs celery
- 1 cup Italian Parsley chopped
- ¾ cup mayonnaise vegan
- ½ cup mustard stone ground or other
- 1 teaspoon kala namak or more to taste, also known as black salt
Instructions
- Drain the tofu for at least 15 minutes. If you don’t have a tofu press or a press that will not compress the tofu on its own, stick it on a plate or in a frying pan and place something heavy on it, like a cast iron skillet.
- While the tofu is draining, chop the celery, scallions, and Italian parsley.
- Once the tofu is drained, shred it in your hands. Add the vegetables and turmeric and mix well.
- Add the vegan mayo and mustard. Mix well.
- Add the black salt until satisfied with the taste. Mix.
- Enjoy!
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