General Tao's Tofu

This recipe for General Tao's Tofu is the deservedly most popular recipe on VegWeb. Check out the link for the originally posted recipe. Because we at Tiny House are not hardcore vegetarians, I did relax the stringency of the vegetarianism of this dish. Like, I didn't use an egg substitute, I used an egg. Here's my version, which is nearly identical to the original.

Ingredients

- 1 box of firm tofu
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 3 chopped green onions
- 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2/3 cup vegetable stock
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 Tablespoons sugar
- Red pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon sherry (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- Steamed broccoli


Directions

Drain, dry and cut tofu into 1 inch chunks. You can freeze tofu the night before to get a more chicken-like consistency, but it isn't necessary. Beat egg and add three tablespoons of water. Dip tofu in egg/water mixture and coat completely. Put 3/4 cup cornstarch in bottom of shallow bowl or plate. Dredge the egg coated tofu in the cornstarch and set aside. The tofu might absorb some of the cornstarch, but it's nothing to worry about.

Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a deep skillet, and fry tofu pieces until golden. Place the fired tofu on paper towels to sop up some of the oil. Cool and drain oil--you can save frying oil and use it again.

Heat 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil in a pan on medium heat. Add green onions, ginger and garlic, cook for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn garlic. Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper and vinegar. 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.

This recipe is not good--it's fucking awesome. For someone like me, who looooves American-Chinese food, I could eat this every night. It does take some prep time, but it is well worth the effort. Enjoy!