General Tso Tofu Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What kind of tofu do Chinese restaurants use? ›

White in colour and tender to touch, soft tofu (yun dou fu) contains the highest water content of all tofu types and is widely used in Cantonese and other southern Chinese cuisines. It's similar to Japanese silken tofu, but while very soft it has a bit more “body” to it, making it slightly easier to handle and cut.

No one cares about unblocking a task as much as the person doing it. That's why it's important for that person to follow the Take Ownership and Follow Up (TOFU) principle. That means taking ownership of the task and chasing the people you are waiting on until it gets done.

Press it. Tofu contains a lot of water, and you'll want to squeeze most of it out, especially if you're baking, grilling, or frying it. I recommend using a tofu press to do this, because it gives the tofu a delicious chewy texture and makes cleanup a breeze. But having one isn't necessary.

The key to crispy tofu is to heat the oil in your pan before adding tofu cubes. Coating the pan-fried tofu in corn flour helps create a crispy coating as the cubed tofu cooks in the oil. Another key to getting uber-crispy tofu is removing excess liquid/moisture from it before you cook tofu.

Pat each cube dry. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu and cook on all sides until golden brown, 2-4 minutes per side, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Fried tofu is exactly what it sounds like: squares of tofu fried and pre-packaged for your easy consumption. It's not as crispy as you might suspect, nor is it as compact and crumbly as firm tofu, but instead has a spongy, airy texture perfect for absorbing sauces.

Incorporating tofu into your daily meals and snacks can bring several health benefits. Those benefits include brain health promotion, ease of menopause symptoms, and heart disease prevention. However, eating tofu has some risks, as it might lead to digestive issues or interact with certain medications like MAOIs.

What to not serve with tofu? According to studies, a high volume consumption of tofu and spinach together can increase your risk of kidney stones. Tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively and the combined can form kidney stones.

Press tofu and cube it. Coat it in garlic, black pepper, salt (plus more of your favourite seasonings), liquid aminos and some olive oil. Then mix it into some cornstarch and toss it all together, then bake for about 20 minutes. Cornstarch also helps to draw out excess moisture so it really gets the tofu crispy.

It sticks, and the crispy bits end up sticking to the pan, which is a tofu tragedy. Plus, it requires more oil, and you don't need to use a lot of oil to get crispy tofu. When you bake your tofu, you give it time to develop crispy edges and warm, pillowy insides. It's simply the best.

What to season tofu with? ›

Tofu seasoning rub: Rub the pressed tofu with lots of spices like garlic or onion powder, salt and pepper, nutritional yeast or a spicy taco seasoning, KFC seasoning, Buffalo spice, etc. Tofu marinade: Soak the tofu cubes in your favorite chicken/meat marinade to infuse extra flavor.

In a mixing bowl or measuring cup with a spout, whisk together the marinade: soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, ginger, and Sriracha. Drizzle over the tofu. If any pieces look bare, turn them over in the marinade a few times so all of the sides are coated.

Substitutions: If you prefer not to cook with cornstarch, you can substitute in an equal volume of all-purpose flour or potato starch. Tofu: This recipe can also be made with medium-firm tofu, but you'll need to be a bit more gentle while pressing and coating it.

Cut tofu into cubes. Step 2: Place those cubes in a bowl, and toss gently with 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Step 3: Arrange tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil and salt. Step 4: Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, or until as crispy as you'd like.

Plain tofu has no specific flavor and is honestly, quite bland. This might be why people tend to hate it but the fact that it's bland is exactly why we should LOVE it. The texture of tofu is more important than the taste- all the different types of tofu have different textures.

What is tofu? Tofu, which originated in China, is made of condensed soy milk that's pressed into solid white blocks in a process similar to cheese making. Nigari, a mineral-rich coagulant that's left over after salt is extracted from seawater, is used to help tofu solidify and keep its form.

Block tofu is what you'll find most often at grocery stores and restaurants. Made using the curds-and-whey method explained above, it is sometimes referred to as "cotton tofu" due to the fluffy texture of the curds.

For tofu stir-fries, buy extra-firm tofu (or if you can't find that, buy firm tofu). Grace Young, wok guru and author of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, says that for the best texture, “You want to remove as much liquid as possible before you stir-fry, so start with extra-firm.

Since it contains less water, Chinese tofu has a firmer texture than Japanese tofu. It's great for adding texture and flavor to vegetarian foods that otherwise could lack substance without it. Actually, Chinese tofu is easier to prepare because it is drier and requires less attention while cooking.