General Tso's Tofu

by Steph Sunshine at StephSunshine.com

Yield 6 servings

Prep Time 80 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

  • 1 batch crispy fried tofu
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce*
  • 3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup mirin rice wine
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
  • 5 tbsp. hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup or brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. fresh ginger root, minced
  • 3/8 cup dried red chilis*, stems and seeds removed (around 20 chilis)
  • Green onions, steamed broccoli, and rice, for serving
  • 1 tbsp. oil for cooking

Instructions

  1. Prepare a batch of crispy fried tofu and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl or glass, mix cornstarch with low-sodium soy sauce to create a slurry.
  3. In a small mixing bowl, mix vegetable broth, rice wine, rice wine vinegar, hoisin sauce, toasted sesame oil, and maple syrup.
  4. In a large saute pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. of oil and cook the garlic, ginger, and chilis, until the garlic is golden brown (about 1 minute).
  5. Add the sauce mix to the pan and cook for 1 minute, while stirring. Be sure to add the sauce carefully as it may create steam when it hits the pan. Add the soy sauce-cornstarch slurry to the sauce and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened and is bubbly (around 3-4 minutes).
  6. Add the tofu to the sauce, and toss to coat. Serve immediately with rice and steamed broccoli, if desired. Top with chopped green onions (scallions).

Notes & Hints

You can buy Chinese chilis online (although they might take some time to arrive), or your local Asian market may have them. Árbol chiles also work if those are easier to find in your area.

If you want to use regular soy sauce or coconut aminos, I'd recommend different measurements. For the soy sauce, start with 1 tbsp., adding more to taste if needed. For coconut aminos, you may wish to cut down on the maple syrup (2-3 tbsp).

This recipe makes just enough sauce for the tofu, so if you're going to add a lot of vegetables, consider making a half-batch of tofu, or doubling the sauce.

This recipe is best when it's fresh, but if you expect to have leftovers, only put the tofu that you'll eat right away in the sauce. The tofu will stay a little crispier if it's stored without sauce.

Store sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

With this recipe, you'll get a medium level of heat (which may vary, depending on the specific chilis you use). Feel free to adjust the amount of chilis for a milder or hotter sauce.

Rice wine vinegar is not the same as rice vinegar. If you can't find rice wine vinegar, I'd suggest using white wine vinegar instead.

StephSunshine