This is a dairy-free version of an Egyptian breakfast side dish I grew up eating called ‘gibna bel tamatem’ (جبنة بيضة بالطماطم)— literally, white cheese with tomatoes—that’s traditionally made with crumbled Egyptian feta or cottage cheese (for a low sodium option), tomatoes, crushed dried mint, zaatar, and olive oil. It’s eaten with Egyptian bread or ‘’aish balady’ alongside other main breakfast dishes like ‘ful’ (stewed fava beans) or ‘taameya’ (the og falafel), eggs etc. I also like spreading it over toast and topping it with arugula.
For this vegan twist I used two of my favorite Japanese ingredients:
- Tofu. Make sure to use the highest quality. I used domestic soybean tofu from a shop brand which specializes in tofu.
- Miso. To give it a slight cheesy flavor. I used white miso it’s a bit milder and sweeter.
As for the other ingredients, instead of arugula and a hard boiled egg (also Egyptian breakfast staples) I paired it with mizuna and a ramen egg from a batch I made a few days ago. I even swapped the usual black tea with cold brew green tea
There are really no measurements for this so just adjust based on your taste and how much of each ingredient you want.
Tomato Mint Tofu Spread (aka Vegan Egyptian ‘gibna bel tamatem’)
- Block of good quality firm tofu, strained and crumbled with fork
- Small dollop of yellow miso paste (varies depending on how salty your miso is so adjust to your taste)
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Handful dried (or fresh) mint, crushed (go heavy on the mint)
- Za’atar (optional)
- Cherry tomatoes, diced
- Green pepper, finely diced (optional)
- Generous drizzle of EV olive oil + some for garnish
- Pinch of salt, to taste
Mix all ingredients together. Serve with any form of bread and optionally cucumbers, olives etc.