Having a picnic this weekend? Here’s one for your basket.

One of my favorite sandwich fillings as an ovo-lacto used to be salad made from that almost inimitable animal product – the delicate, yet potent, egg – with its unmistakable emanation of sulfur. Some detest the odor, others love it. I loved it enough to go chasing after a vegan simulation of the experience, and one day, by word of mouth, I found out about a powdery pink mineral salt called kala namak (aka Indian black salt). It was a revelation! Finally, that pungent, ineffable redolence could be recreated in tofu “egg” dishes. You can find kala namak in Indian groceries and some specialty spice stores, but it’s not expensive to order online. It’s less salty than regular salt, so the proportions used are greater; don’t be alarmed.

If you were ever an egg salad lover, you’ll be sucking this stuff down with relish. In fact, it would probably taste pretty great with a pickle relish. Experiment and play! Just be gentle. Makes approx. 3 cups.

Ingredients

• 1 package firm water-packed tofu, frozen, thawed, and pressed
• 3/4 cup Cream Your Cashews sauce made with lemon
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1/4 medium red onion, finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp kala namak
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp dill
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, or to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Crumble the tofu into small boiled-egg-like chunks in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the Cream Your Cashews sauce, lemon juice, kala namak, yeast, dill, turmeric, and mustard and mix well to make the “mayo.” Add the mayo to the tofu bowl along with the onions and celery and toss thoroughly to combine. Season with the black pepper to taste, and chill until ready to serve.

Provides a savory mouthful of eggy goodness in both sandwiches and salad, and goes brilliantly with a big juicy pickle. Nom nom!

*Fingir means to fake, but it’s a fun word because it looks like a cognate. And I think we’ve all heard of huevos.