On this Carbonara Day, we want to offer our cruelty-free version of this dish: vegan carbonara with smoked tofu (but seitan or tempeh works, too, if you prefer!). We’ve also used kala namak salt, a black salt readily available online. This salt has a unique feature: it “tastes like eggs” and is thus perfect for all recipes where you want to replace eggs with a plant-based alternative. Enjoy this beautiful and, most importantly, delicious vegan carbonara!
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 320 g of pasta (spaghetti or rigatoni)
- 400 g of smoked tofu
- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons of liquid smoke
- 200 g of unsweetened soy milk
- 200 g of soft tofu
- 40 g of nutritional yeast flakes
- 5 g of kala namak salt
- Saffron or turmeric for color, to taste
Procedure for making vegan carbonara:
First, start marinating the tofu: cut it into cubes or strips and let it marinate with the soy sauce and liquid smoke for at least 10 minutes. If you want to add an extra flavor touch and caramelize the tofu, add a tablespoon of maple syrup.
Meanwhile, prepare the cream: Pour the milk into a container and add the soft tofu, nutritional yeast, kala namak salt, and turmeric (or saffron). Blend everything together and set aside.
Put water on to boil (without salt, because the soy sauce and black salt will make the seasoning salty enough), and when it boils, cook the pasta. Drain the pasta a couple of minutes before the time indicated on the package because it will cook a bit more with the cream (saving some of the cooking water).
Heat some oil in a pan, add the marinated tofu, and let it brown. Once it’s crispy, turn off the heat. In another hot pan, pour the cream and add the pasta, stirring to combine. If you prefer the cream to be more liquid, add some pasta cooking water and continue to stir. Add the tofu (leaving a few cubes aside for garnishing), mix well, and serve. Garnish with nutritional yeast, more tofu, and black pepper.
See also: Potato and savoy cabbage gateau: a traditional classic
