Pan-Fried or Baked General Tso's Tofu

This is the General Tso's Tofu that you will love as much as the ones you order from your favorite Chinese restaurant. The sauce sweet, tangy, and spicy while the tofu is crispy whether you pan-fry or bake them.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time25 mins

Ingredients

▢ 1 block firm tofu (14 ounce)

For General Tso's sauce:

▢ ¼ cup ketchup
▢ ¼ cup water
▢ 3 Tablespoon granulated sugar (or to taste)
▢ 2½ Tablespoon vinegar, white or apple cider (or to taste)
▢ 1½ teaspoon soy sauce
▢ 1 clove garlic, minced
▢ 1 stalk green onion, sliced (separate the whites and greens)
▢ ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (or to taste)
▢ 1½ teaspoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon of cold water for slurry)

For pan-fried tofu:

▢ ½ cup cornstarch
▢ Vegetable oil (for pan-frying)

For baked tofu:

▢ 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
▢ 1⅓ cup water
▢ 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

Drain the excess liquid from the tofu then gently press the whole block of tofu between two sheets of paper towel to drain more moisture.
Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes.
*After cutting the tofu block into cubes, you can drain more moisture by gently squeezing each cube between some paper towel. This will allow your tofu to stay crispier, longer.*

If pan-frying tofu:

Coat the bottom of a sauté pan with about ¼ inch of oil. Heat the pan on medium low heat.
Meanwhile, gently coat the cubed tofu with cornstarch and dust off excess.
*I recommend gently tossing the cubed tofu and cornstarch in a closed Ziploc bag.*
When the oil is hot*, place each cube of tofu individually into the oil and let it fry for about 5 minutes until it's crispy and turns a light golden color. Flip the tofu cubes and repeat with the other side.
Once the tofu cubes are crispy and light gold in color, remove them from the oil, and let them drain on paper towels.

If baking tofu:

Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a sheet pan lined with a sheet of lightly greased parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, water, and oil until emulsified and smooth.
Coat each cube of tofu with the batter and tap off excess. You only want a thin coat. Place the battered tofu on the prepared sheet pan and repeat with remaining tofu cubes.
Bake the tofu for 12 minutes. Then flip each tofu and bake them for an additional 10 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.

Make the General Tso's sauce:

Whisk together all the ingredients for the General Tso's sauce except for garlic, green onion, red pepper, and cornstarch.
In a sauté pan over medium low heat, add a small amount of oil. Add the minced garlic, the whites of the green onion, and the crushed red pepper. Sauté until aromatic.
Add the previously made sauce base to the pan and bring it up to a low simmer.
Drizzle in the cornstarch slurry and stir the sauce until the slurry is well incorporated and thickened.
Add the pan-fried or baked tofu to the sauce and toss until well coated.
Garnish the tofu some sliced green onion, and serve it with some steamed white rice.
Enjoy the tofu while they're hot and crispy.