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.

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.

GENERAL TSO'S TOFU STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Cut the tofu into 2-centimetre (3/4-inch) cubes and dry well on paper towels. Put half the cornstarch into a food bag, add the tofu cubes and toss to coat, then add the remaining cornstarch and toss again. Set aside for 5 minutes to become slightly tacky.
• Mix the rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and brown sugar together in a bowl and set aside.
• Heat the sunflower oil in a wok or frying pan over a high heat and cook the tofu for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside to drain on paper towels. Drain any excess oil from the wok.
• Allow the wok to cool a little, then add the sesame oil, ginger, garlic and chile and gently fry for about 1 minute before adding the blended sauce ingredients with 150 milliliters (2/3 cup) water. Bubble until you have a thick, glossy sauce.
• Return the tofu to the pan and toss to coat all over. Serve with steamed basmati or brown rice and broccoli.

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.