Omelette with tofu (Wonosobo)
This is a delicious vegetarian recipe from Central Java (Wonosobo). This omelette with tofu has simple ingredients, but as so often with Beb Vuyk’s recipes, that doesn’t mean the recipe is simple in flavor. The sweet and sour sauce that is topped over at the end is really delicious; that determines the taste of the whole dish. I, therefore, use super sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) from ABC.
This dish is enough for 2 people and is ready in 30 minutes. I make this recipe with 300 grams of tofu and 4 eggs. I also double the rest of the ingredients.
Tofu omelette (Wonosobo) #345 translated from Beb Vuyk’s Groot Indonesisch kookboek, page 287.
Ingredients
- 1/2 block of tofu
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoons of oil
- 1 leek
- juice of 1 lemon
Herbs and spices
- herbs
- juice of 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of sambal ulek
- 3 tablespoons of sweet soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon of vetsin (monosodium glutamate)
- pepper
- salt
- Crumble the tofu; mix it with the finely chopped leek, pepper, salt, vetsin and the beaten eggs.
- Make this into an omelet in a heavy-based frying pan.
- Turn the omelette over on a lid, let her slide back into the pan with the unbaked side down and fry her gently until lightly brown and done.
- Mix the soy sauce with the sambal, add the lemon juice and pour the sauce over the omelette.
This omelette gets a kind of ‘cloud flavor’ due to the finely crumbled tofu that has to go through the egg mix. You can get tofu in different shapes, sizes, and consistencies. If Beb writes “1/2 a block” then you don’t really know how much she means to use.
I go for 300 grams of Japanese tofu (I buy at the Asian supermarket). This Japanese variety is firm and specially made to stir fry, says the packaging. I double the amount of the other ingredients, to make sure the egg-tofu ratio is nicely balanced. Thus, I go for 4 eggs and I add half a teaspoon of salt and pepper.
Because the tofu becomes part of the omelette, the type of tofu does not really matter; after all, you crumble it. It is nice to try out the different types and the amount of fluffiness it will produce.
I see that Beb has forgotten to tell what to do with the garlic. I add the squeezed garlic to the omelette batter. By the way, I replace the leeks with spring onions because I still have some left.
Vetsin (monosodium glutamate)
Beb adds vetsin to this dish. Just like salt, vetsin is a flavor enhancer. Vetsin has a bad reputation. It’s supposed to be not good for your heart and gives you a headache, but that’s not true. This story is a good example of fake news or urban myth story.
Still, I don’t use vetsin in this dish because I don’t have it at home. My soy sauce is salty enough. This dish will be fine.
My pan is on low heat with two tablespoons of rice oil in it. Omelette must bake slowly, take your time for that.
In the meantime I make sambal ulek. That is a basic sambal that is nothing more than chili peppers ground fine in a mortar with a bit of salt. Want to see more sambal recipes? Check out my sambal recipes here.
I now pour the delicious sweet soy sauce and the juice of 1 large lemon into the mortar. Because I’ve doubled the number of ingredients, I’m going for at least 4 tablespoons of sweet soy sauce.
I can smell that my omelette with tofu is done on one side. I also see that the edge turns a bit dark. The omelette can be turned over. This is not an easy job. Beb describes that you first have to slide the omelette on a lid before putting it back upside down in the pan.
My omelette is quite slippery, so I don’t dare let it slide directly onto a smooth lid. I use a plate to place the omelette in first, before slipping it on a lid and letting it come down upside down in the pan. It almost worked, but because I tried to take a picture of it, part of it folds double. Too bad, but hey, it must taste good.
I cook the omelette with tofu for another 5 minutes and then it is done. I slide it all onto a plate and pour the delicious sweet and sour sauce over it! This tofu omelette is a fantastic vegetarian dish that is ready in no time. The soy sauce brings the whole dish together. We simply eat it with white rice and a cucumber salad.
