General Tso's chilli tofu recipe
Named after Zuo Zongtang, a Qing Dynasty statesman and military leader, this dish is comfort food 101. Perfect for those who like spicy food, but are trying to cut down on their meat intake.
Ingredients
For the sauce- 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 tbsp Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing wine)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp fermented chilli bean paste (doubanjiang)
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 200 g cubed tofu pieces
- 1 bunch of spring onions (scallions), cut into 5cm (2in) slices
- 5 dried red chillies
- 1 tsp garlic purée
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Details
- Cuisine: Chinese-American
- Recipe Type: Tofu
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 5 mins
- Cooking Time: 10 mins
- Serves: 2
Step-by-step
- Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl, mix well and set to one side.
- Place your wok over a medium-high heat. When hot and add the oil and then the tofu pieces and fry for 1–2 minutes.
- Add the spring onion, dried chillies and garlic purée and fry for a further minute.
- Give your sauce a quick mix, add to the wok and bring to the boil, stirring the whole time. Continue to cook for a further 2 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken.
- Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy it as it is or with noodles.
This recipe is from 10-Minute Chinese Takeaway by Kwoklyn Wan (Quadrille, £16). Photography ©Sam Folan.
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