Crispy General Tsos Tofu Food

GENERAL TSO'S TOFU

Steps:

• Place tofu onto a plate lined with several paper towels. Cover with more paper towels and another plate. Set a 3- to 5-pound weight on top and press tofu for 30 minutes. Drain and discard any accumulated liquid.
• Place tofu cubes in a shallow bowl. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and sesame oil. Gently stir to coat. Let sit for 10 minutes or until tofu has absorbed most of the liquid.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce by whisking soy sauce, maple syrup, sambal oelek, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, cornstarch, and green onions together in a bowl. Set aside.
• Drain any remaining liquid from the tofu. Place cornstarch in a gallon-sized plastic resealable bag. Drop tofu cubes in the bag, seal, and gently shake until coated with cornstarch.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook tofu for 4 minutes. Flip with tongs and cook until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes more. Transfer tofu to a plate and wipe the skillet clean.
• Pour sauce into the skillet and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Return tofu to the skillet and toss to combine.

CRISPY GENERAL TSO'S TOFU

Steps:

• Whisk broth, soy sauce, hoisin, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ginger, vinegar, brown sugar, white pepper, and red pepper flakes together in a small bowl. Set sauce aside.
• Place remaining cornstarch in a resealable, zip-top plastic bag. Tear off bite-sized chunks of tofu and drop them into the bag. Shake until each piece is evenly coated. Sprinkle on cornstarch by hand, if needed, to coat each piece well.
• Heat oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add tofu pieces one by one and cook until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to move and turn the pieces until browned on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Pour out any remaining oil. Add the white parts of the green onions and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the sauce. Allow to heat and thicken, about 2 minutes. Return the tofu to the wok and toss to coat. Discard ginger. Garnish with green onion tops, peanuts, and sesame seeds.

GENERAL TSO'S TOFU

Steps:

• Drain, dry and cut tofu into one inch chunks-You can freeze the tofu the night before to get a more"chicken-like" texture, if desired.
• Mix egg with 3 Tbs of water.
• Dip tofu in mixture.
• Sprinkle cornstarch over tofu to completely cover.
• Heat oil in pan and fry tofu pieces until golden brown and set aside.
• Drain oil.
• Heat 3 Tbs vegetable oil in pan on medium heat and add onions, ginger and garlic, cook for about two minutes (be careful not to burn garlic).
• Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes and vinegar.
• Mix 2 Tbs of water and 1 Tbs cornstarch and pour into mixture, stirring well.
• Add fried tofu and coat evenly.
• Serve immediately with steamed broccoli over your choice of rice.

ON BOARD IN 20: GENERAL TSO'S CRISPY TOFU WITH SNAP PEAS & RICE NOODLES

Steps:

• Start a kettle with 2 litres of water. Heat a cast iron pan and a non stick pan over medium/high heat. Add the vegetable oil to the cast iron and the sesame oil to the non stick. Bring out a large metal bowl that a dinner plate would fit over, or a large pot with tight fitting lid. Place a small pot with lid on stove (no need to preheat)
• Place the dry rice noodles in the large metal bowl. Once the kettle boils, pour all but about ½ cup of water over the noodles. Break the noodles apart gently with a fork and then place the dinner plate over and leave until just before plating.
• Pour the remaining half cup of hot water into the smallest pot and add the green beans, then snap peas and put a lid on it. Turn the heat to medium/low and check in five minutes for doneness.
• Cut the tofu into equal pieces about 2x2x1 inch (refer to pictures for size). When the oil in the cast iron pot is near smoking hot, place the tofu in the hot pan and arrange so no pieces are touching. Leave undisturbed for five minutes. The idea is to get a nice crust on the tofu. Flip the pieces when the crust resembles French toast. Cook for an additional 3 minutes or so and then add the pieces to the sauce.
• Grate the garlic and ginger directly over sesame oil pan. Add soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, and cornstarch and water mixture. Stir and reduce heat to a low/medium. Cut the scallions into three equal pieces and then roughly into thin strips. Add scallions to sauce and stir to wilt.
• To assemble: drain the rice noodles and place directly on the board. (You may want to toss them in a small amount of oil to keep them from sticking.) Layer the vegetables on top of the noodles, followed by the tofu and any extra sauce. Garnish with lime, Thai basil and/or sesame seeds.

GENERAL TSO'S TOFU

Steps:

• 1. Drain, rinse and pat tofu dry. Cut into 1" cubes.
• 2. Heat oil on medium-high.
• 3. Combine 3 T potato starch with salt and pepper. Dredge tofu and fry in hot oil until golden brown and crispy. Let rest on paper towel.
• 4. Toast finely chopped peppers in a large skillet. Add garlic to brown. Do not burn it.
• 5. Add broth, tamarind, brown sugar, tamari, rice vinegar. Bring to a boil.
• 6. Reduce heat to a simmer.
• 7. Add 2 T potato starch. Let thicken.
• 8. Add fried tofu to mixture until warm and thoroughly covered.
• 9. Add any vegetables at the very end, such as: bell peppers, green onions, peas, or bok choy. Serve with steamed rice.