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?
Did you remember to add the extra water to the egg replacer? Also, this is like breading something. So the easiest way to do it is to use one hand to dip in the wet mixture, then place the tofu in the cornstarch and use your other hand (the dry one) to coat it. Otherwise too much wetness will get on the cornstarch. If you have it in you to try again you should. This recipe is wonderful.
I attempted this yesterday. I dunno what I did wrong, but the eggy coating and cornstarch did not stick to the tofu. It ended up all crusty and gross in a clump on the bottom of the pan. I got pissed and threw it out. What happened here?
Unfortunately, I didn't have any tofu. Fortunately, I had farmer's market and garden bounty! I just made a huge stir-fry with tons of veggies and this sauce was very tasty! Following suggestions, I made double, and I'm glad I did, as there is plenty leftover for lunch tomorrow! Thanks for a great recipe, I will be making this again.
Wow! This is the best recipe from Vegweb I have gotten so far, and I am always impressed with the stuff I find here. I did make some extra sauce, as someone recommended, and I was so glad. That sauce is amazing. I kicked myself for not picking up the shiitake mushrooms I was eyeing at the store, but the snow peas and green pepper were a lovely addition to the recipe. I used SG brown rice for the bottom. Man oh man, this stuff is pure heaven. I could go on for hours...
:) This is simply amazing!!
I made this tonight, and even my carnivore hubby thought it was great. I heeded the advice a lot have given on here and made double the amount of sauce. I'm glad I did. The broccoli and rice complemented to tofu and sauce really well. Next time I'll try some eggplant in the mix.
This was very tasty! My husband and I both loved it but next time I'll double the sauce recipe. Deee-licious! :)
This was ABSOLUTELY THE BEST recipe I've found on this website so far! I've never had the real thing, but DANG!
Next time, I'm doubling the sauce, and adding all the veggies I can get my hands on!
mmmmmm this recipe is really really really good. the sauce is what makes it so amazing. the first time i made it i used my deep fryer, and that was a bad idea because apparantly tofu will explode and spray hot oil all over the place when deep fried. a pan is a much better idea.
so delicious.
it's delectable, really.
This dish takes a while (we tend to make it on weekends), but it is an absolute godsend. Definitely make extra sauce, cause that's the best part!
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.
this was very tasty. chopped peanuts were a good addition. I added too much cornstarch to the sauce, which gave it a slightly powdery aftertaste, and STILL everyone gobbled it down. my friend was even making sandwiches with it. 5 stars.
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