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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

General Tso's Tofu

I've been on a really good vegetarian kick for the last few weeks and have also amped up my workouts at the gym.  I was getting concerned that I wasn't eating enough protein and in turn have been researching more tofu recipes to balance me out. 

I love tofu. I  love Chinese food also, so when I found this recipe for General Tso's Tofu, I had to try it. I promise you'll want to make this as soon as you can!

I served it with blanched broccoli, tossed in a bit of sesame oil and mirin and let it all cool. I also finished it off with a tiny bit of sea salt. The result is a cool sweet accompaniment to the spicy tofu. Oh I almost forgot, I also boiled one bar of Chinese Egg noodles which were nice to gather the left over sauce.  I was a champ and thought 12 seeded dry chili's was the way to go for this. If you ultra love spicy, follow suit. Otherwise, stick to 3 or 4 so you don't burn your face off. 

Note that you don't need to marinate this tofu for hours and hours. This can be a quick meal if you need it to be. 

Photo: General Tso tofu & blanched broccoli is our Meatless Monday dinner. It was spicy and delicious!


Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal

1 pound extra-firm tofu
2 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon peanut of vegetable oil
8 dried whole red chilis, or substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger,
1 scallion, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, for garnish

Sauce:

3 tablespoons tomato paste (or substitute ketchup for a slightly sweeter sauce)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons chili sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar


  1. Rinse and drain the tofu, then cut into 1-inch cubes. Blot the tofu all around with paper towels (drying the tofu helps it pan-fry better.)
  2. Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil. Add the broccoli and cook for about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Set aside.
  3. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the tomato paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, and sugar.
  4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat the bottom. Add the tofu in one layer (you may have to do this in batches) and allow it to sear on the first side undisturbed for about 1 minute. Then use a spatula to move the tofu cubes around until they are golden on half or most of the sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
  5. In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of peanut oil. Add the dried chilis, garlic, ginger, and scallions and stir-fry until just fragrant, about 30 or 40 seconds. Pour in the sauce and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the tofu and carefully toss to coat with the sauce. You can either toss the broccoli in with the sauce or serve it on the side. Transfer everything to a large serving dish. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and scallions greens on top and serve with rice on the side.

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