Name: Miso and Mustard Tofu Scramble
Ingredients: 1 pound (450gr, approximately) water-packed medium-firm tofu (NOT silken); 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup pure water; 2 heaping tbsp yellow, nutritional yeast flakes (NOT brewer's yeast); 2 heaping tablespoons yellow miso; 2 tsp dijon mustard; 1 tsp tumeric (for a yellow colour); 1 tsp sage; 1/4 tsp each dried basil and oregano; salt and pepper to taste; 1 onion, diced; 1/2 green pepper, diced; 1/2 red, yellow or orange pepper, diced; 1 small tomato, diced; 1 or 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

Why it works: Basil and oregano match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,390 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Basil + oreganotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,390 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Tofu + misotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together75 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Sage + oreganotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together127 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Sage + basiltop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together223 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Sage + peppertop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,388 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Water-packed medium-firm tofu: Provides the crumbly, protein-rich body that the scramble is built on.
Yellow miso: Adds savoury depth and saltiness that seasons the tofu through the marinade.
Nutritional yeast flakes: Contributes a cheesy, savoury flavour to the scramble.
Extra virgin olive oil: Carries flavour and helps the vegetables soften and brown lightly in the pan.
Dijon mustard: Adds sharp acidity and tang that balances the rich miso.
Onion: Sweetens as it cooks and builds aroma and body into the scramble.

The step that matters

Cook off all the water from the marinated tofu. Tofu releases water as it heats, and the scramble only browns and holds its crumbly texture once that liquid has evaporated. Stopping early leaves it soggy and steamed rather than lightly golden.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, olive, miso, sage, basil, oregano, pepper):

Eggplantfits better
Spinachfits better
Capsicumfits better
Mustardthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, olive, miso, sage, basil, oregano, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Tofu	100g firm	76
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Miso	1 tbsp (18g)	34
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Sage	1 tsp ground (0.7g)	2
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

Miso and Mustard Tofu Scramble