Packed with deeply savoury, creamy, smoky and fresh flavours and textures yet so easy to prepare and will impress your family and dinner guests!The perfect starter for a Scottish themed meal especially for Robert Burn's Night dinner, St Andrew's Day, Hogmanay (Scottish New Years Eve), New Year's dinners or anytime you feel like a delicious taste of Scotland!
To serve: Scottish oatcakes, crackers, breadsticks, crusty bread, are all tasty accompaniments
Instructions
Prepare the mashed potatoes: (or if using leftover mashed potatoes omit this step)
Peel and cube the white potatoes. Add to a pot with salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer until fork tender.Drain but reserve the liquid as it can be used to prepare the veggie stock if using stock cubes/stock powder/bouillon paste/etc. Also 2 tablespoons can be used for the potato mash.
Add 1 tablespoon of vegan butter or margarine to the potatoes along with 2 tablespoons of potato water or veggie stock. Mash until smooth-ish, a few small lumps are fine!If preferred the margarine can be omitted and replaced with a teaspoon of white miso paste or an extra tablespoon of stock or potato water.
Set aside until required.
Prepare the Cullen skink soup:
Chop the tofu into small pieces and chop the onion.
Pour the veggie stock into a large saucepan or similar and add the tofu and onion. Season with salt, white or black pepper and garlic powder.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour in the plant milk.
Plonk in the mashed potatoes and whisk or stir until the potatoes are smoothly mixed in. (Add the potatoes in 2-3 stages as this is easier to mix them in.)
Bring back to the boil, check the seasoning and serve sprinkled with the 'fish' herb seasoning blend or similar herb mix. The Mrs Dash range is tasty. Chopped fresh parsley or dill is also a particularly nice addition.
Notes
Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
Store leftover Cullen skink within a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Leftovers can be reheated by adding to a non-stick pan and bringing to the boil. Lower the heat and gently simmer for 1-2 minutes until piping hot. Be careful not to fast boil or simmer for more than a few minutes as the plant milk may split.
Cullen skink is easy to prepare as gluten-free. Simply use a gluten-free vegetable stock and check that your smoked tofu and any seasoning blends are free from gluten ingredients.
If your in the UK smoked tofu can be found at Co-Op supermarkets and in Lidl at least during Veganuary 2022. Check other local supermarkets, wholefood stores, and health shops for availability.
For a home-made quick smoked tofu try: Slice up a block of firm tofu and add a few tablespoons of soya sauce and about 1-1 ½ teaspoons of liquid smoke. A nice addition is a ripped up nori seaweed sheet or use pieces of your choice of dried seaweed. Mix everything well and leave to marinade for a few hours. A little smoked paprika could be used if liquid smoke is hard to source. I purchase liquid smoke from Amazon, UK. Play around with the flavours until they are what you like.