GENERAL TSO’S TOFU

GENERAL TSO’S TOFU

This General Tso tofu recipe is a fantastic vegetarian dinner. It's a perfect balance between sweet, salty and spicy.

Ingredients

For the tofu:

• 1 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 to 3 tablespoons cornstarch (depending on how wet the tofu is)
• ⅓ cup peanut or canola oil (for shallow frying)
• 1½ tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons Louisiana hot sauce (such as Crystal)
• 1 pound regular or firm tofu (450g; drained, pat dry, and cut into 1-inch squares)

For the rest of the dish:

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• ½ tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 cup water or vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1½ tablespoons light soy sauce
• ½ red bell pepper (cut into large pieces)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon ginger (minced)
• 7 whole dried Chinese red chili peppers (optional)
• 1½ tablespoons cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)

Instructions

First, combine honey and hot Louisiana sauce in a bowl until well blended. Add the tofu to the bowl and mix gently with a spatula until the tofu is well coated.

Then sprinkle the sesame seeds over the tofu and mix until they are evenly distributed. Then sprinkle the cornstarch over the tofu until it is lightly coated. If the tofu is still too wet, add a little more cornstarch.

Heat 1/3 cup of oil in a medium size pan (we like to use a cast iron pan) until the oil is around 350F, or when a bamboo stick boils when inserted oil. If you want to make frying tofu easier, use more oil to get deep frying.

Carefully place the tofu pieces in the pan, making sure they don't touch, and fry for about 2 minutes. Turn them over to continue frying on the other side. Work quickly and turn the heat down if you need more time to turn, or if you see them starting to burn. Continue to cook the tofu until a nice crust forms and it turns golden brown (about 4 to 5 minutes in total). Transfer the tofu pieces to a saucepan with a slotted spoon.

Heat your wok over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil from the tofu and add the ginger. After 10 seconds, add the whole garlic and dried red peppers and stir for 15 seconds. Then add the red peppers and the Shaoxing wine.

Now add the water or the vegetable broth and let the mixture boil. Add the broccoli florets.

Immediately add the soy sauces, rice vinegar, salt, sugar and sesame oil. Let the mixture boil. Immediately add the cornstarch mixture slowly, stirring.

The sauce should be thick enough to cover a spoon. Feel free to add more or less of the cornstarch mixture depending on how thick you like your sauce, but give it 30 seconds to 1 minute between additions, as it takes a while for the sauce to thicken.

Add your fried tofu and stir quickly to make sure the tofu is coated. Serve with steamed rice! Happy Cooking Time.