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Vegan Lecsó with Tofu served
Tasty and nutritious vegan lecsó with smoked tofu

Hungarian Ratatouille with Smoked Tofu (Lecsó)

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Vegetarian & Vegan Dishes Main Courses Quick Meals
Lecsó is the essence of Hungarian cuisine: onion, pepper, tomato. Chemically, it's a vegetable stew where the acid and pectin of tomatoes thicken the juices of the peppers. Smoked tofu here brilliantly replaces the smoky flavor profile of sausage or bacon, while its spongy structure soaks up the flavorful juices. A tradition-respecting yet modern dish.
🕒 Prep Time 15 mins
🍳 Cook Time 25 mins
⌛ Total Time 40 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 310 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Hungarian

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Deep skillet or Dutch oven
  • Cutting board
  • Paper towels for tofu

Allergen Information

⚠️ Soy

Instructions

1 ✓

Pat dry the tofu and cube it. Fry cubes in a little oil until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Tip: Frying (Maillard reaction) deepens flavor and adds texture so it's not soft like an eraser.
2 ✓

Finely chop onion, slice peppers into rings or strips, cut tomatoes into wedges.

Tip: You can peel tomatoes by blanching if skin bothers you, but skin contains many flavor compounds.
3 ✓

Sauté onion in remaining oil. Remove from heat, and stir in the paprika powder.

Tip: Removing from heat is a critical step! Paprika sugar content burns instantly in hot oil becoming bitter, but releases color when dissolved in fat.
4 ✓

Add peppers, salt, and a splash of water. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.

Tip: Salt helps extract water from peppers, starting to steam them in their own juices.
5 ✓

When peppers have collapsed, add tomatoes and crushed garlic. Cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until sauce thickens.

Tip: Here we evaporate excess water to get a thick sauce.
6 ✓

Finally, stir in fried tofu and simmer together for 2 minutes.

Tip: Best served with fresh white bread!

Recipe FAQ

Why add peppers first?
Peppers have a stronger cellulose structure than tomatoes. If you add them together, the tomato acidity slows down the softening of the peppers (pectin breaks down slower in acidic environment), so tomatoes would turn to mush before peppers soften.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz Smoked Firm Tofu
  • 1.5 lbs Hungarian Wax Peppers (or Yellow Bell Peppers)
  • 10 oz Ripe Tomatoes
  • 1 large Onion
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 3 tbsp Sunflower Oil
  • 1 tsp Sweet Paprika
  • 1 pinch Smoked Paprika (for extra aroma)
  • 1 tsp Salt