General Tso’s Tofu with Broccoli

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This restaurant-worthy version of General Tso’s chicken is made vegan with *perfectly* prepped and fried tofu.

We tested 3 methods for removing excess moisture from tofu to yield the ideal texture for fried General Tso’s tofu. The winner was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, even after being smothered in gooey, yummy sauce.

Read on for step by step directions!

Vegetarian Chinese tofu recipes

Chinese tofu recipes are were always hit or miss for me, so I decided once and for all to solve the biggest challenge: how to get tofu to stay crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, even when drenched in sauce?

Step one in tofu preparation is removing excess moisture. Then it gets coated in a starch and fried in hot oil. Let it cool before mixing with hot veggies and sauce.

Many people choose firm tofu for a softer inside after frying, but I prefer extra firm tofu. I think it gives a chewier, meatier texture that I’m looking for in a General Tso’s dish.

It’s crucial to start with the proper foundation. So for step one, removing excess moisture, I tested three different methods to achieve the best fried tofu texture that would make General Tso proud. (Never mind that he never ate the dish. NPR has a good story on how the famous General Tso’s chicken dish came to be.)

Best way to drain tofu

Tofu generally comes in a container full of water to maintain a uniform texture while packaged. But in order to absorb the flavor of your sauces and get a chewy, substantial texture, we need to thoroughly drain the tofu before cooking.

The three methods I put to the test for draining tofu were:

Method 1: basic press

The most common way to drain tofu is to press it with something heavy. It works well for many cooking methods, but I wanted to see how it compared to the two methods below which aim to get even more moisture out of the packaged tofu. Here’s how to press tofu:

1. Remove tofu from package and cut the block in half lengthwise.
2. Wrap the slabs in 4 layers of paper towels.
3. Put something heavy on top like a cast iron pan, and leave it to press for 30 minutes.

Method 2: salting

I haven’t seen other recipes call for salting tofu before pressing, but it makes perfect sense. We salt other plant based foods to draw out moisture before cooking, like the eggplant slices in this Lebanese stew recipe. So why not salt tofu as well?

1. Remove tofu from package and cut the block in half lengthwise.
2. Using 1/2 tsp salt total, sprinkle the tofu slabs on both sides. Use your fingers to gently spread out the salt evenly.
3. Wrap the slabs in 4 layers of paper towels.
4. Put something heavy on top like a cast iron pan, and leave it to press for 30 minutes.

Method 3: boiled salted water

This method has been floating around the internet lately. It sounds counter intuitive, but the combination of heat and salt is meant to expand the tofu and draw out more moisture. I wanted to see if taking the extra time to boil salted water actually made a difference compared to salting alone.

1. Add 2 tbsp salt to 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
2. Remove tofu from package and cut the block into 1 inch cubes.
3. In a medium bowl, pour the salted water over the tofu and soak for 15 minutes.
4. Wrap the tofu cubes in 4 layers of paper towels. Press down with your hands to flatten a bit, and let sit for 15 minutes.

And the winner is?

It was a close race between methods 2 & 3, but the boiled salt water method won by a hair! When it comes to prepping tofu for frying, the basic press of method 1 just wasn’t good enough to get that crispy, chewy texture that you need to hold up under a thick, gooey sauce.

There’s some evidence that method 2, the salting method, yields a texture that holds up better when submerged in sauce for a long time (leftovers, anyone?).

But the boiled salted water method resulted in fried tofu that tasted great both by itself (nice and salty!), and soon after mixing with sauce. So if you’re planning to cook and serve right away, use the boiled salted water method.

I also like the bumpy, uneven outer texture you get from this method. Something about those imperfect cubes makes the dish more fun.

How to fry tofu

After draining, coat the tofu cubes lightly in cornstarch. (Note: in another recipe for fried tofu I recommend gluten-free arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. But for this recipe, the combination of General Tso’s sauce and arrowroot powder made the outer coating slimy and unappetizing. So, stick with cornstarch here!).

Use about 3 tbsp of cornstarch per block of tofu. I find the easiest way to do this is to put the cornstarch in a regular bowl, add about a third of the tofu cubes, and toss gently to coat. Then add the next third to the bowl and toss again. You may need to use your hands. After tossing in the final third, they should all be evenly coated.

Then heat up oil in a pan. I use plain vegetable oil. You’ll know it’s hot when the oil starts to shimmer. Carefully add the tofu (without splashing the hot oil on yourself!) and fry on both sides for 4 minutes each.

Use a slotted spatula to remove the tofu from the oil. Drain on paper towels while you prepare the rest of the recipe. Cooling the tofu like this helps it retain its crispy texture even after sauce is added.

How to make General Tso’s sauce

Every good sauce is made up of a fat, an acid, and salt. Then you can add seasonings and sweeteners.

For this recipe, prep your sauce by whisking together stock, tamari, sugar, mirin, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. You can use water instead of vegetable stock, but I like the extra kick of flavor from stock. Set aside for later.

Next, steam a large head of broccoli and a sliced red pepper for about 5 minutes, then set aside.

To build the base layer of flavor, cook diced onion on low heat for 8 minutes or until translucent. Toss in minced garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds. Now you can add the steamed broccoli and red pepper to the pan and cook for a minute or so on medium heat.

In a small bowl, stir 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch in 1 tbsp of water to create a thickener. Add this to your sauce bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over your veggies in the pan.

Add the fried tofu, stir to coat, and heat for 3 minutes or so on medium heat. The sauce will thicken considerably when heated.

Serve warm with white rice, and top with sesame seeds and lots of red pepper flakes. Green onions would be a nice addition, too!

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Are you on your way to being a tofu lover? Try these other Tofu Test Kitchen tofu favorites!

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• Easy peanut sauce served over tofu and veggies
• Veggie stir fry using tofu as egg replacer

Questions about this General Tso’s tofu recipe? Leave a commend down below!

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