In the 1990s, I could not get enough of General Tso’s Chicken. A deep fried combination of sweet and spicy flavors made for American palates. I ate a lot more Chinese food then and this was my go-to.

I remember my colleague at the time, Rick W, was slightly obsessed with figuring out how to make a healthier version of General Tso’s chicken at home. This was around the time when the internet was beginning to take off but there weren’t unlimited recipes online for our favorite Chinese chicken. As an engineer he took a methodical approach to trying different ingredients and techniques and finally settled on a pretty good recipe. I had it in my recipe book for many years and made it every so often. 

Fast forward about 25 years later (how is this possible?) when I was excited to see this recipe as an option from Purple Carrot, a meal kit delivery service we use. Admittedly it has been many years since I’ve had the traditional deep fried version of General Tso’s Chicken since I try to stay away from both fried foods and wheat. This brought back some of the great flavors and with a new protein – tofu. We liked it so much that we have made it a few times with ingredients that we have picked up ourselves. 

This is a great way to prepare tofu. Coating it in cornstarch allows it to crisp up when you pan fry (not deep fry) the pieces. Plus the sauce is so flavorful that you don’t have to worry about the tofu being bland. In order to ensure that this is gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari (which is almost always gluten-free) and cornstarch that is marked as gluten-free. Cornstarch contains no gluten, but could have been cross-contaminated while being processed. This dish is also vegetarian and vegan.

While this may not be your favorite Chinese restaurant version of General Tso’s Chicken, it just might satisfy that craving while providing a healthy at home meal.

General Tso’s Tofu

 

General Tso’s Tofu
5.0 from 2 reviews
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Recipe type: Main Dish
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 14 ounces extra firm tofu, drained
  • 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 jalapeño pepper (or other hot pepper), seeds removed and finely chopped (see Notes)
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (see Notes)
  • 2 tablespoons white or raw sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch (see Notes)
  • 3 teaspoons, sesame seeds (black and/or white), divided
  • 3 scallions, sliced into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Serve with brown rice and vegetable (such as broccoli or asparagus)
Instructions
  1. 30 minutes (or up to a few hours), drain tofu block and wrap in a paper towel and then in a dish towel. Place in a shallow dish, put a small cutting board on top and something heavy (like a small sauce pan). Let sit for 30 minutes on the counter (if draining for longer, place in the refrigerator) to drain the liquid. Alternatively, if you have a tofu press, please use it. Releasing as much moisture as possible ensures your tofu will be crispy.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together ginger, garlic, jalapeño pepper, soy sauce or tamari, white or raw sugar and rice vinegar. Set aside.
  3. Once tofu is drained, cut tofu into 1-inch cubes and place in a medium bowl. Add cornstarch, 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss tofu to coat with a rubber spatula.
  4. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil in a large (12-inch) non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. (Since you’re using a non-stick skillet, you likely will only need 1 tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil – add more if you need it.) Add coated tofu and cook, tossing occasionally, until crispy and browned in places, about 5 to 8 minutes. If there’s any cornstarch mixture left in the bowl, stir it into the ginger-garlic sauce as this will help thicken the sauce.
  5. Add the scallion to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes.
  6. Reduce heat to low and add the ginger-garlic sauce and toss. Cook until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds.
  7. Add cooked rice and vegetable to a plate or bowl. Top with crispy tofu. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds.
Notes
* If you like hot, add more jalapeño peppers (or other peppers).
* To ensure that this meal is gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari (which is typically gluten-free) and cornstarch that is labeled ‘gluten-free’ (cornstarch contains no gluten but may have been exposed to cross-contamination). Note that traditional soy sauce contains wheat so it is not gluten-free/wheat-free.
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Source:  Variation on recipe from Purple Carrot