Eggless Egg Salad

Reprinted with permission “From the Kitchens of YamChops”, Page Street Publications. Photograph: Vincenzo Piztritto

Be sure to search out kala namak for this recipe. It is a South Asian salty and pungent-smelling rock salt and it delivers an authentic egg salad umami. It’s often referred to as Indian black salt but, when searching it out, keep in mind that it’s actually pink!

Ingredients:
1 (416 g) block extra firm tofu (see notes below)
½ cup (115 g) finely diced celery
¹/3 cup (50 g) finely diced dill pickle
1 tsp kala namak
¼ cup + 2 tbsp (87 g) vegan mayo
1 tbsp (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
2 tsp (11 g) Dijon mustard
2 tsp (5 g) celery seed
2 tsp (8 g) evaporated cane sugar
2 tsp (5 g) onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp course grind pepper (sometimes called butcher's grind)

Preparation:
Drain and press the tofu. Break the pressed tofu in pieces into a large bowl. Mash the tofu with a potato masher until you reach an egg salad-like consistency. Add the celery and pickle. Sprinkle the kala namak over the tofu and mix well with a spatula to fully distribute the ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayo, vinegar, mustard, celery seed, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric and pepper. Add the dressing to the tofu mixture and mix together well.

Note:
Always search out non-GMO tofu for tofu recipes. To press the tofu, wrap the blocks in a double layer of paper towels. Place the wrapped tofu on a cutting board with a plate or sheet pan on top. Weigh down the tofu by placing 2 or 3 cans (cans of tomatoes or beans work great) on top of the plate or sheet pan and let rest for 15 minutes.

ENJOY!