General Tso’s Tofu
Cubes of silken tofu are lightly coated with potato starch, deep fried until a crispy crust forms and tossed in a sweet-salty-spicy sauce. A meatless variant of the popular Chinese-American General Tso's chicken, General Tso's tofu is a great appetizer or meatless main course.
Ingredients
- 1 block silken tofu (the standard size is about 300 grams)
- 1/4 cup potato starch or corn starch
- cooking oil for frying
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon grated garlic
- ¼ teaspoon grated ginger
- ¾ cup chicken broth unseasoned or lightly seasoned
- salt as needed
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
To garnish
Instructions
Fry the tofu
- Place the block of tofu between stacks of paper towels.
- Place a plate on top and leave for a few minutes to allow the tofu to expel excess water.
- Cut the tofu into two-inch cubes.
- Place the cubed tofu in a bowl, add the starch and toss gently to coat every inch of the surface.
- Heat enough cooking oil in a wok to reach a depth of at least an inch and a half (more is better).
- Fry the tofu cubes, turning them over for even frying, until a crispy crust forms on the surface.
- Scoop out the tofu and drain on a rack.
Cook the sauce
- In a clean wok or frying pan, stir together all the ingredients for the sauce.
- Set the heat to medium and cook the sauce, stirring, until thickened and no longer cloudy.
- Set the heat to medium-low and continue cooking the sauce until reduced and thick enough for a canal to form when you drag a spatula across the bottom of the pan.
- Taste the sauce. Depending on whether the chicken broth is unseasoned or lightly seasoned, you may need to add salt to balance with the sweetness.
Assemble the dish
- Dump the fried tofu cubes into the sauce.
- Toss repeatedly until the tofu cubes have soaked up most of the sauce.
- Garnish with cilantro and toasted sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
Updated from a recipe originally published in February 9, 2012.
Inspired by a recipe from The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch.
