"Egg" Fried Rice

素鸡蛋炒饭
Su Ji Dan Chao Fan
serves 2 generously.
I've recently started using black salt in my fried rice, to give a more savoury, egg-like flavour. Black salt, Kala Namak, is a seasoning used in Asian cookery, particularly in India for spice mixes such as Chana Masala. It has an eggy taste due to the sulphurous mineral compounds within the salt.

Black salt is something I have heard about on vegan blogs and in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch, where it is used to recreate an eggy flavour in tofu omelettes and other normally egg based dishes. Here the tofu is the star of the dish. I deep fry it in large cubes; the outside  becomes brown and chewy, like egg white when it is fried in hot oil, and the inside is still soft. I break this up and then incorporate it within the rice towards the end of cooking, for a chewy savoury texture and taste. My mum used to add finely shredded iceberg lettuce to the fried rice, which I have continued to do as it adds a nice sweetness to the dish.

Ingredients:
Approximately 400g tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes, marinaded in 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp liquid smoke (if no liquid smoke try smoked paprika, or just soy sauce, or just buy smoked tofu and skip marinade) for at least 15 minutes.
2 tbsp vegetable oil
5 spring onions/scallions, finely chopped
1 heaped tbsp grated ginger
2 cups precooked long grain rice - fried rice is best with cold leftover rice from a previous meal as it retains its shape and texture during the frying process.
200g iceberg lettuce (about 4 leaves), finely shredded  - can use another crisp green lettuce
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp black salt

Fill a small sauce pan with 2 inches of vegetable oil. Heat and then use to fry the tofu cubes until they have browned and they have developed a crust. Drain the tofu on kitchen paper. Once the cubes are cool enough to handle, break them up with your hands. Set aside.

Heat a wok or large cast iron skillet on highest heat. Add the 2 tbsp oil and fry the ginger and spring onions, approx 1 minute, or until they are fragrant. Add the nutritional yeast, stir fry for 10 seconds or so - it should go a little golden and toasted. Add the rice, stir frying with "wok chan" or other metal implement, try to keep the rice moving so it doesn't stick at the bottom; scrape the rice that sticks at the bottom off - the browned crispy rice adds to the flavour of the dish, but make sure it doesn't burn. Cook until rice is heated through, then add the lettuce. Toss this over the heat until it is wilted.  Add the tofu and stir in until well incorporated. When the tofu and the rice are piping hot, turn off the heat. Add the black salt and stir in thoroughly. Serve as a (very generous) main for two or as a side dish for four people.