This homemade sweet, spicy, and sticky, General Tso’s Tofu is much better than the Chinese takeout and gets done in under 30 minutes. It is loaded with protein and saves you a lot of calories and dollars!
Want to try more Chinese recipes, here are some of the other favorites that I often make for weekend brunch – Chinese Hot and Sour Soup, Indo Chinese Schezwan Egg Fried Rice, Indo Chinese Chilli Chicken, Hunan Chicken, and Crab Rangoon.
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About This Recipe
General Tso’s Tofu is crispy tofu cubes tossed in a sweet and savory Asian sauce. It is a delicious vegan version of my all-time favorite General Tso’s Chicken. It is exactly the same recipe, the only difference is the use of plant-based protein.
One of the most popular takeouts of American Chinese restaurants, General Tso’s Tofu has a great balance of sweet, sticky, and spicy flavor in one, with a gist of ginger and garlic.
The homemade version is healthier than the take out as you know what’s going into it while cooking, it’s lighter and saves you a lot of calories and dollars.
This sweet and spicy recipe perfect to serve with boiled white rice. This is also vegan and gets done in under 30 minutes.
Also because of its impeccable flavors, most of us think this one is difficult to make at home, but let me tell you this one is very super easy. Just coat the tofu with flour, shallow fry until crisp from outside, mix all the sauces, and then cook everything together in a wok. Yes, that easy!
You can even make a slightly healthier version of the same. Instead of coating the Tofu with flour and frying, you can bake the marinated Tofu cubes and cook with the sauces later.
So next time, you are craving something American Chinese and wants to satisfy your taste buds, get the ingredients ready, and prepare this General Tso’s Tofu. It just gets ready in 30 minutes.
This General Tso’s Tofu is,
- Crispy
- Comforting
- Loaded with protein
- Spicy, Sweet & Sticky
- Delicious
- Perfect for weekend brunch
- Great as a party appetizer
Ingredients
Tofu – Use firm or extra firm tofu for this recipe. Before cutting it into small cubes, press the tofu block with something heavy, so that it releases the remaining water.
To marinate the tofu – We will marinate the tofu so that it soaks up the flavor really nicely. For the marination, you will need soy sauce, vodka, rice vinegar, and cornstarch.
Vodka is optional, but it makes the tofu super crispy while frying.
For coating the tofu – To make it extra crispy, we will coat it after marination. For the coating, you will need all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
Sauce – This crispy fried tofu is then cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce, which is made with a combination of hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, and vegetable stock.
Hoisin sauce, which is one of my favorite Asian sauces, adds a nice dark color along with salt and sweet flavors. Brown sugar also adds to the color and also makes it a little sweet.
Assembling – The final step is to assemble the dish. The sauce and crispy tofu are cooked along with garlic, ginger, and red chilies, providing this dish a perfect amount of heat. If you like it extra spicy, you can increase the number of red chilies.
Finally, it is garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, making it look even more appealing along with giving it a slight crunch.
How to make General Tso’s Tofu?
Wrap 300 g tofu slab in a kitchen towel and press it with something heavy. I used my marble rolling board.
Let it rest for 10 minutes and then cut it into small cubes. This step is important as it removes the excess moisture from the tofu making it super crispy once fried.
Add all the ingredients for the marinade like 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon vodka, 2 teaspoon rice vinegar, and 2 tablespoon cornstarch in a medium-size mixing bowl and mix nicely. Adding vodka is optional but it evaporates while frying the tofu and makes it super crispy after frying.
Add the tofu pieces to the marinade and mix well to coat each piece with it. Cover the bowl and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Mix all the ingredients for the dry coating like 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoon cornstarch, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium-size mixing bowl.
Heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil for frying the tofu in a non stick pan.
Take out the tofu pieces from the marinade and coat them in the dry mixture. Shake them a bit to get rid of the excess dry coating and drop in the hot oil.
Shallow fry on medium heat till golden brown and crisp from all the sides. Keep flipping them while frying to fry evenly from all the sides.
Drain the fried tofu on a plate and keep aside.
Combine the ingredients for the sauce that are 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and ¾ cup chicken stock in a small saucepan and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat until it slightly thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and keep it aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large wok. If sesame oil is not available, use any regular oil.
Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger, and 3-4 chopped red chilies and cook on high heat for 3-4 seconds.
Add the fried tofu and the sauce mixture and stir well.
Garnish with 1 tablespoon chopped green onions and 1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
To avoid frying the tofu, you can bake it instead. Just marinate and coat the tofu as per the recipe and then bake the tofu at 350ºF or 180ºC until golden brown.
I will not suggest you make it ahead of time as the coated and fried tofu will lose its crispiness with time. If you want it to be crispy, make it fresh while serving.
Pro Tips By Neha
Always use high quality ingredients, for the best taste.
Some people like the flavor of vinegar more. So if you are one of them, feel free to increase the quantity. Start with the mentioned quantity and if you want more of it, add in more.
Adjust the sauces according to your taste.
Only firm and extra firm Tofu will work well, do not opt for soft Tofu. Press the Tofu before using to release the excess water and moisture.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this delicious General Tso’s Tofu along with some Steamed Rice, and Stir-Fried Broccoli on the side.
You can also opt for Brown Rice, Quinoa, or even Jasmine Rice. For a low carb option, you can also serve Cauliflower Rice.
I sometimes even serve it as a starter or along with Noodles such as Hakka Noodles, Chilli Garlic Noodles or Schezwan Noodles.
If you have leftovers, you can even use it to make Lettuce Wraps, Wraps, Burritos etc.
Storage Suggestions
General Tso’s Tofu will last in the refrigerator for 2 days when stored in an airtight container. Reheat in a pan or in the microwave, until nice and warm before serving.
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Recipe Card
General Tso’s Tofu Recipe
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- 300 grams extra firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vodka
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
For Dry Coating:
- 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¾ cup chicken stock (use vegetable stock for vegan or vegetarian version)
For Assembling:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 3-4 chopped red chilies
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (for frying)
- 1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon chopped green onions
Instructions
- Wrap 300 g tofu slab in a kitchen towel and press it with something heavy. I used my marble rolling board.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes and then cut it into small cubes. This step is important as it removes the excess moisture from the tofu making it super crispy once fried.
- Add all the ingredients for the marinade like 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon vodka, 2 teaspoon rice vinegar, and 2 tablespoon cornstarch in a medum size mixing bowl and mix nicely. Adding vodka is optional but it evaporates while frying the tofu and makes it super crispy after frying.
- Add the tofu pieces to the marinade and mix well to coat each piece with it. Cover the bowl and keep aside for 30 minutes.
- Mix all the ingredients for the dry coating like 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoon cornstarch, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium-size mixing bowl.
- Heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil for frying the tofu in a non stick pan.
- Take out the tofu pieces from the marinade and coat them in the dry mixture. Shake them a bit to get rid of the excess dry coating and drop them in the hot oil.
- Shallow fry on medium heat till golden brown and crisp from all the sides. Keep flipping them while frying to fry evenly from all the sides.
- Drain the fried tofu on a plate and keep aside.
- Combine the ingredients for the sauce that are 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and ¾ cup chicken stock in a small saucepan and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat until it slightly thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and keep it aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large wok. If sesame oil is not available, use any regular oil.
- Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger, and 3-4 chopped red chilies and cook on high heat for 3-4 seconds.
- Add the fried tofu and the sauce mixture and stir well.
- Garnish with 1 tablespoon chopped green onions and 1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!