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Tofu Appetizers Lunch / Dinner Main Courses Side Dishes

General Tso’s tofu

Published: 02.09.2012 » Last updated: 10.23.2022

A meatless variant of the popular Chinese-American General Tso’s chicken, General Tso’s tofu is a great appetizer or meatless main course.

General Tso's tofu

Silken tofu is used in this recipe but you may substitute firm or semi-firm tofu. Whichever kind you use, it is essential to press out excess moisture to allow the starch to stick to the surface rather than dissolve in liquid.

Flouring and frying tofu cubes

During frying, it is the starch that gives better texture to the tofu. So, you want to ensure that a light golden crust has formed on all sides of each tofu cube before scooping them out of the oil.

Tossing fried tofu in sauce

The sauce is not much different from the sauce of General Tso’s chicken. But because the tofu cubes are tossed in starch and fried without seasoning, to give the dish better flavor, you will need to add more salt in the sauce. How much depends on whether the broth is unseasoned or not.

General Tso’s tofu

Connie Veneracion
Cubes of silken tofu are lightly coated with cornstarch, deep fried until a crispy crust forms and tossed in a sweet-salty-spicy sauce.
General Tso's tofu
Print Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Drying the tofu 10 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian Fusion
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 block silken tofu - (the standard size is about 300 grams)
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • cooking oil - for frying

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  • ¼ teaspoon grated garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon grated ginger
  • ¾ cup chicken broth - unseasoned or lightly seasoned
  • salt - as needed
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

To garnish

  • cilantro
  • toasted sesame seeds

Instructions
 

Fry the tofu

  • Place the block of tofu between stacks of paper towels, weigh down with a plate and leave for ten minutes.
  • Cut the tofu into two-inch cubes.
  • Place the cubed tofu in a bowl, add the starch and toss gently to coat every inch of the surface.
  • Heat enough cooking oil in a wok to reach a depth of at least an inch and a half (more is better).
  • Fry the tofu cubes, turning them over for even frying, until a crispy crust forms on the surface.
  • Scoop out the tofu and drain on a rack.

Cook the sauce

  • In a clean wok or frying pan, stir together all the ingredients for the sauce.
  • Set the heat to medium and cook the sauce, stirring, until thickened and no longer cloudy.
  • Set the heat to medium-low and continue cooking the sauce until reduced and thick enough for a canal to form when you drag a spatula across the bottom of the pan.
  • Taste the sauce. Depending on whether the chicken broth is unseasoned or lightly seasoned, you may need to add salt to balance with the sweetness.

Assemble the dish

  • Dump the fried tofu cubes into the sauce.
  • Toss repeatedly until the tofu cubes have soaked up most of the sauce.
  • Garnish with cilantro and toasted sesame seeds before serving.

Notes

Inspired by a recipe from The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch.
Print Pin Recipe
Keyword Tofu

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  • #19 How to stir fry like a pro
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Connie Veneracion, Chiang Mai, 2020

Hi, I’m Connie!

Welcome to Umami Days, a blog that advocates innovative home cooking for pleasurable everyday dining. No trendy diets, no food fads and definitely no ludicrous recipe names like crustless quiche, noodleless pho or chocolate lasagna.

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