General Tao's Tofu
1 (12 ounce) box firm tofu, in 1" cubes (frozen and thawed, if desired)
1 egg equivalent (e.g., EnerG Egg Replacer), prepared
3 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons water, divided
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cornstarch, divided
vegetable oil for frying + 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2/3 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry, optional
red pepper, to taste
steamed broccoli, to serve
1. Mix the egg replacer as specified on the box and add an additional 3 tablespoons water. Dip tofu in egg replacer mixture and coat completely. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cornstarch over tofu and coat completely. Watch out that the cornstarch doesn't clump up at the bottom of the bowl.
2. Heat oil in pan and fry tofu pieces until golden. Drain oil. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in pan on medium heat. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic; cook for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn garlic.
3. Add vegetable stock, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, sherry, and red pepper.
4. Mix 2 tablespoons water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and pour into mixture stirring well. Add fried tofu and coat evenly.
Serve immediately with steamed broccoli over your choice of rice.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Tried it again (and again) and it turned out better, the flavor is always good but the consistency varies with different tofu.
I used agave instead of sugar, and have even made it adding some blood orange juice for taste and color. yum.
This stuff was pretty awesome. I was hoping it would be a good replica of the way-overpriced general tso's tofu at my favorite Chinese restaurant, and while it was different, it was equally good. I think the breading on the tofu was really what put the whole thing over the top; it gave the dish really good texture. I didn't have broccoli so I used mushrooms instead, and just sauteed them with the garlic and green onions for a couple minutes, which also saved on overall prep time.
I made this tonight for my 19 year old daughter and her boyfriend. It was soooo good! I freeze my tofu when I do stuff like this because I really like the texture. I also used a vegan brand of tempura batter to coat the tofu. It turned out spectacular. The sauce is terrific. Served it with brown rice. :)
This is a really good recipe (the sauce is phenomenal)--but how could it not be, with all that sugar and fried goodness? My qualms about this recipe lie in the fact that fried tofu slathered in sugar and salt is not healthy, at all. I really loved this recipe, but I'd consider making a few adjustments--substitute some of the sugar with agave nectar and/or maple syrup, and use low sodium soy sauce. Also, the tofu can be baked with the sauce slathered on.
tgarcia: if you happen to try out a healthier recipe that tastes good you definitely should post it here!!! I would love that. this recipe is just too unhealthy to eat that often. :-[
a word of warning: the stated 30 minutes of prep time was way off for me. it took me at least 40 minutes to prepare the fried tofu part, but then the sauce didn't take very long once the veggies were chopped. if you serve with broccoli and rice like I did, I'd budget 1-1.5 hours, unless you're very experienced and quick.
if you bread the tofu and start it cooking, you can get the sauce done by the time the tofu is ready. easily 30 minutes, but you would have to use two pans, plus a sauce pan for the broccoli. once the tofu is frying, it doesn't need attention for a bit.
I used "flax eggs" because i am too cheap to buy ener-g egg replacer and it worked great. also, i used sweet white onion (again, i am cheap) and it turned out well. i've been craving the sauce that is on general tso's chicken for a while now but couldn't figure out how to get it to stick to tofu. \
thanks for this recipe -- it may become my new dish i cook for meat-eaters instead of my famous taco chili!
I decided to make the transition to a vegetarian lifestyle just a few weeks ago. This was the first recipe I tried out, and I loved it. It was easy to make and turned out delicious. My two year old loved it. I served it with mixed steamed veggies. It was perfect and absolutely filling. Thanks for the fabulous recipe. ~Smiles~
I made general tao's tempeh...and it would have been much better if i really liked tempeh lol. I used water with an extra pinch of salt instead of boullion to eliminate msg, which worked fine. Stevia worked fine as well. It made plenty of sauce for me...and was very tasty.
amazing recipe!
i recommend freezing the tofu, and tossing in as many veggies as you can find!
Took me a lot longer than 30 mintues to prepare, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Increased the green onions to 9 stalks, added 1/3 chopped red bell pepper, and used red wine instead of sherry. Otherwise, as per the recipe. It is fantastic! I was dubious about the vinegar and veggie stock, but the sauce really is "the thing." Served it over brown basmati rice and my greatest challenge - my 14-year old son - gave a huge thumbs up.
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