You’re going to love this crowd-pleaser Portuguese Brás-Style Tofu. It is packed with flavour and so easy to prep! Made with leek, shoestring potato chips, tofu, eggs and a few other ingredients that I’m sure you have in your pantry.
I think I can confidently say this Brás-Style Tofu is my favourite Portuguese dish and it’s been for a long time (although before I used to eat the traditional version, with cod and without leek). When I started cooking mostly vegetarian and vegan food, I had to create my own version and here it is! Slightly healthier than the original dish, vegetarian and still so delicious. Also, it’s one of those dishes perfect for newly vegetarians and for those who are giving tofu a try as it’s such a crowd-pleaser. I’m sure you’re going to love it!
Ingredients you’ll need to make this Brás-style Tofu:
Tofu – firm to extra-firm tofu. We use one that’s already tomato flavoured, so if yours isn’t, heavily season and marinate it in advance with tomato paste, salt, paprika, garlic and onion powder and pepper.
Crunchy shoestring potato sticks – you can buy them packed or bake them at home, for a healthier version.
Free-range medium eggs – If you’d like to veganize this dish, you can substitute the eggs with a mix of 1 cup of chickpeas flour and 1 cup water, with a teaspoon of turmeric and the rest of the spices.
Leeks, onions and garlic – for the amazing flavor, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Parsley – to add a touch of freshness and lovely flavor.
Unsweetened plant-based milk – This is Ruben’s trick to make the eggs extra creamy.
Olive oil, bay leaf, thyme, paprika, chilli flakes.
How can I make this dish a little bit healthier?
Although I’m all about balance and believe you should enjoy yourself from time to time, I understand if you’d like to turn this dish a little bit healthier. It’s such a delicious dish you should be able to enjoy it without guilt as many times as you’d like to. So to keep things on the healthier side, you can:
- cook your own crispy potatoes at home. To do this, just cut 4 to 5 medium raw potatoes in fine stripes, coat them with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and bake them in the oven at 200ºC for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden.
- Or you could substitute the shoestring chips with 3 carrots in strips, an extra half a leek and half a bell pepper, also in strips. In this case, just add some more salt, as the potatoes are already salty and the veggies aren’t.
Other Portuguese inspired recipes you might enjoy:
Gomes de Sá Tofu ~ Portuguese Tofu with Veggies
Portuguese Mushroom and Bean Stew
Mediterranean Roasted Tofu and Veggies Nourish Bowls
Pumpkin Cornmeal Porridge
Roasted Tofu with Cabbage & Corn Bread Crumble
Portuguese Brás-style Tofu
Ingredients
- 2 medium or 3 small leeks
- 1 big or 2 small onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 medium block of firm tofu 200g, we use tomato flavoured tofu
- 5 free-range medium eggs
- Half tsp thyme
- Half tsp chilli flakes
- Half tsp paprika
- Half tsp salt
- 1 small brunch of parsley
- 2 tbsp unsweetened plant-based milk
- 500 g crunchy shoestring potato sticks 1 medium packet or home baked
Instructions
- Wash and slice the leeks in small disks.
- Chop the onions and add them, along with the leeks and the bay leaf, into a big pan with the olive oil and let it sauté in medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, giving it a mix from time to time.
- Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the garlic cloves and cut 200g of tofu into cubes.
- When the onions are golden (after about 10 minutes), add the tofu and the minced garlic and let them cook for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, prep the eggs – add them to a bowl with the thyme, chilli flakes, paprika, salt, plant-based milk and chopped parsley and beat them. *
- Add the crunchy shoestring potato sticks to the pan and give it a gentle mix. *
- Add the eggs to the pan and let them cook, folding everything gently until the eggs reach your desired consistency. I personally like the eggs on this dish slightly undercooked (cooked for about 5 minutes) and creamy, but remember that raw eggs are always a risk!
- Serve right away with lots of chopped parsley and black olives and enjoy!
Notes
I love seeing pictures of your remakes of Zest’s recipes. If you try this Portuguese Brás-Style Tofu snap a picture and tag @zest.andthecity on Instagram or use the hashtag #zestandthecity, so I can see and share your remakes. Join our community on Instagram, Facebook and, YouTube!
