Black eyed pea salad (with tuna) is quite popular in Portugal. Let me tell you a funny story: a few years ago I was in Porto, by the riverside, and we went to a nice cafe with outside seating for lunch. I was already vegetarian (a couple of weeks from going fully vegan) and so I asked for this salad, but without the tuna. It took ages to come but it arrived…with tuna. I politely declined and said I asked for it without the tuna…I waited another hour and it came. It was a bowl with black eyed peas and 1 tomato sliced in four pieces, nothing else – I had to laugh! 🙂 It was sad to see how some people don’t take vegetarianism and veganism lightly but at the same time hilarious – nothing wrong with tomato or black eyed peas, but to serve that (just that) in a restaurant is… not cool. I never went back there, off course. Anyway, here’s my vegan version of this salad, not bland, super colourful and tasty!
Time: 20 minutes
Type: salad (side or main)
Difficulty: 1 pan
Makes: 2 mains or 4 sides
What you need:
1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
400g tofu, scrambled
300g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp chopped red onion
a handful of radish, sliced
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
dash black salt
a few leaves of rocket, lettuce or spinach
toasted bread to serve (optional)
Utensils:
frying pan
chopping board and knife
mixing spoon
large bowl
Directions:
Prepare tomatoes, onion and radish- place in a large bowl;
Scrambled tofu: place shredded tofu in a frying pan with a splash of water and add garlic and onion powder- cook over low-medium heat for a few minutes, mixing occasionally;
Add salt, mix and remove half of the tofu;
Add turmeric to the remaining tofu in the pan, mix, cook for a further 1 or 2 minutes and reserve;
Add black eyed peas and tofu (both parts) to the bowl, as well as the cider vinegar – mix well;
Top it up with your favourite leaves and is ready to serve.
Note: this salad is lovely at room temperature and with slightly warm tofu directly from the pan, or cold- your choice.
Plant Based Portuguese 