General Tao Tofu

As I keep mentioning, I’ve got loads of produce I’m still in the process of consuming so here is another dish that I immediately thought of when I saw the mounds of broccoli in my fridge (I’ve made this recipe half a dozen times before and it always turns out oh so yummy).

Growing up, Chinese food was the what we got as take out and although I wasn’t a meat eater for the most of this time span (veggie fried rice and sweet n sour sauce did the job for me), I still always loved the general tao sauce. I’ve tried to get carry out where they would substitute in tofu but it’s not the same; their sauce is built for chicken and somehow the tofu doesn’t absorb it so it ends up super sweet all over the rice and bland on the tofu.

Anyways, this recipe is a perfect way to prepare this (and ends up 1000 times better than if you order take out!). The way that the corn starch (you can use potato starch to make it organic!) coats the tofu helps it to absorb the maximum amount of flavor possible and then you also know exactly what is going into your food (for much less than the price of take out!)

Okay, so whip this up for an easy comfort food dinner that you can enjoy while being lazy in front of the TV or as a pregame dinner with sake bombs!

General Tao Tofu

1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer

4 Tablespoons water

1 pound of extra firm tofu (drained and cut into 1-inch cubes)

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cornstarch

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2/3 cup vegetable stock

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

Dash of crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

Steamed Broccoli and cooked rice (For serving)

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg replacer with 3 Tablespoons water. Dip tofu in this mixture until completely coated and then sprinkle 3/4 cup of the cornstarch over the tofu until it’s completely coated.

Next, In a large pan fry the tofu by added them to a medium heated pan with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in it. Flip the tofu after about 2 minutes or until it is browned on all sides. When done, put the tofu on a plate lined with paper towel to drain any excess oil.

Mix remaining water and corn starch in a small bowl and set aside

Next, heat skillet over medium-high heat and add in remaining oil. Add ginger and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, and vinegar. Add in the corn starch mixture and stir until well incorporated. Add fried tofu and coat evenly.

Serve warm with rice and steamed broccoli.

Mmmmmmmm.

Comment

8 Comments

  • kat
    October 28, 2011

    This just looks ridiculously yummy! I love tofu and this is the type of food my parents would make growing up. Thanks for sharing your recipe, I can’t wait to try it out! 🙂

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    […] let’s talk about food! I have a very love//hate relationship with tofu. I can make an amazing General Tao Tofu dish like no one’s business but then there are often times that my tofu comes out […]

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  • Georgie
    October 30, 2012

    I just made this for lunch it was soo good, thank you for the recipe 🙂

  • myhealthyohana
    October 30, 2012

    We had this last week and loved it, even my husband who isn’t normally a big tofu fan said that it was really yummy! 🙂

    • shellywest
      myhealthyohana
      October 31, 2012

      Yay! So glad to hear that! I love when a non-tofu lover gets into a tofu recipe!

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    April 26, 2016

    […] go through phases with food. I’ll make General Tao Tofu for dinner once a week for a month straight and then forget about it for a year. Same goes for […]

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