Readymade tofu scramble: Experiments with a Bonsan breakfast

I'm a sucker for any kind of new vegan product, especially something made of tofu. If you want to separate me from my money, there are few easier ways of doing it than promising me something new and made of bean curd. I know, I know, I'm a simple soul. At least you'll find it easier to know what to buy me for Christmas this year.

So, when I saw the new range of eye-poppingly bright Bonsan tofu products the other day, I couldn't resist picking up a box. I mean, I did struggle for a few minutes, given the prices of the Bonsan stuff I saw were between £2.95 and £4.20, I did wrestle with my purse for a few minutes, before yielding to the inevitable temptation to waltz off with some extra protein in my bag.

Along with fermented tofu steaks, mince, and grill sausages, Bonsan sells a packet of what it describes as breakfast scramble (the cheaper of the options on offer, for any curious fellow-penny pinchers), and comes in a handy one -hungry-vegan sized packet.

Ready made vegan scramble? you might be forgiven for thinking. Ready made vegan scramble? I'm sort of half impressed that such a product now exists, because tofu scramble is great, and sort of half disturbed that people would need a readymade version, when it's not exactly the culinary equivalent of the superhard sodoku.

Pop the tofu out of the paper box, and you'll find the tofu inside a plastic bag. Pop it out of the plastic bag, and like some weird soy matryoshka doll, you'll find it's wrapped in another bag. Rather than (one) bag of scramble, it comes into a string of pale-yellow sausages, like the sort dogs used to rob from butchers' shops in old-time cartoons. It comes out in a slightly damp squidge, still in sausage shape, rather than the scramble you might expect.

Prod it a few times with your spatula, though, and it will collapse into the soft hillocks of scramble you'd hope. Phew.

Initial aesthetics aside, this is the sort of scramble that would be welcome at my breakfast table any time.

It doesn't say on the packet what Bonsan used to flavour the scramble, but it has a subtle savoury taste that means it's a great base for whatever veggies you may choose to throw it, but also tasty enough to serve with a couple of slices of wholemeal and call it brekkie.

I reckon tofu scrambles are one of those dishes that people learn just after they go vegan. I know I did, and I've been cooking them ever since. Despite their simplicity, I've not got bored of them since: I make all sorts of versions, from Japanese inspired to Greek themed, and I love them all. That's why I'm so pleased that there's a readymade version on the market. Some days, when even adding a few spices and veggies to your tofu feels like too much, it's good to know there's an alternative out there.

Have you tried any Bonsan products? Let me know in the comments below!