General Tso's Tofu A Vegan Take on Chinese Takeout

I haven't had Chinese takeout in probably ten years. But there are a few indulgences I really enjoyed back then, like crab rangoon, sweet and sour chicken, and of course, General Tso's chicken. So I decided to do a vegan take on takeout and make a General Tso's tofu recipe. I made this recipe in different variations more than ten times, but I'm finally in love with the results!

In case you're curious, there actually was a General Tso (Tso Tsung-t'ang) from the Hunan province of China who lived in the 1800s, and legend claims that this chicken was his favorite dish. Unfortunately, the "original" version wasn't created until the 1950s in Taiwan, by a chef who decided to name his chicken after the general. At that time, the dish was very different. Later, as Chinese chefs moved to New York, they each created their own version of the dish, eventually resulting in the sweet, sour, and spicy version we know today from American Chinese restaurants. Here are a couple accounts of how this Chinese-American classic came to be: The Strange Tale of General Tso's Chicken (NPR), Who Was General Tso and Why Are We Eating His Chicken? (Menuism).

General Tso's tofu with rice and broccoli

For this recipe, you'll need to make a batch of my crispy fried tofu. You'll start by pressing a block of extra-firm tofu with a tofu press to remove excess water, then cutting it into cubes. Marinate the tofu cubes in low-sodium soy sauce and mirin rice wine, then coat them with a homemade batter and flour. Fry them in vegetable oil in a large skillet, then drain the tofu pieces on paper towels.

You will also need dried red chilis (unless you want a non-spicy version). 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 grocery store. 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.

This recipe was made for low-sodium soy sauce. Since there's a significant amount of it, you will probably notice a difference in taste if you use regular soy sauce (much saltier) or coconut aminos (sweeter). For that reason, if you want to use either of those, I'd recommend slightly different measurements. For the soy sauce, I'd start with 1 tbsp., adding more to taste if needed. If you're using coconut aminos, you may wish to cut down on the maple syrup a bit (2-3 tbsp., to taste).

General Tso's tofu is a vegan version of one of my favorite takeout meals from my college days.

General Tso's recipes are normally served with steamed broccoli and rice, however, I've found that other vegetables are also delicious with this tofu recipe. I really like to add in red bell peppers, sugar snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, and even butternut squash. This recipe makes just enough sauce for the tofu, though, 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.