General Tso’s Tofu

General Tso’s Tofu features crispy caramelized tofu bites with tender broccoli rabe in a tangy savory sweet sticky sauce. Learn how to make extra crispy tofu with the minimum oil and time without deep frying, plus the best General Tso sauce! {Vegan, Gluten-free}

In Chinese cooking, there are so many delicious ways to make rich tasting plant-based dishes using tofusuch as this General Tso’s Tofu. With just an extra marinating step, you can make delicious tofu bites that are extra crunchy and crispy with a caramelized texture. The sauce is tangy, savory and sweet, and works extremely well with the crispy tofu and the slightly bitter tasting broccoli rabe.

How to cook crispy tofu without deep frying

The secret to making the best general tso’s tofu is the marinating process.

1. Cut tofu into 1/2” (1 cm) pieces and transfer them to a gallon-size ziploc bag.
2. Marinate the tofu with soy sauce and maple syrup. The combo helps to char the tofu and give it a beautiful caramelized taste.
3. Drain all the liquid. Add cornstarch into the bag and shake to coat. The cornstarch is the key to an extra crispy crust.
4. Shallow fry the tofu in a large pan.

That’s it!

You don’t need to worry about the tofu breaking apart as long as you’re using extra firm tofu and handle the bag gently. Even if the tofu breaks up a little during cooking, you will still get super flavorful and crispy pieces.

General Tso’s Tofu ingredients

How to cut the broccoli rabe for stir fry

If your broccoli rabe is quite large and long: take off 3” to 4” (8 to 10 cm) of florets (the stems that have flowers on top). Take off the bigger leaves from the stem, then chop the stems into small pieces.

For small broccoli rabe batches: you can simply take off 3” to 4” (8 to 10 cm) of florets (the stems that have flowers on top). And keep the rest intact, or halve the stems.

Prep work

When doing your prep work, always group the ingredients according to the cooking steps to minimize the number of plates on your table. Plus, you can add the ingredients more easily and avoid missing any ingredients.

When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:

• Sliced broccoli rabe
• Chopped aromatics and spices (green onion, ginger, garlic, and dried chili pepper)
• Mixed sauce
• Marinated tofu

Other vegetable alternatives

You can always use regular broccoli instead of broccoli rabe.

Though there are other options as well:

• Swiss chard: chop the stems into small pieces and the leaves into bite-size pieces
• Kale: take off the leaves and chop them into small bite-sized pieces. If using the stem, slice it as thinly as possible.
• Spinach: use baby spinach directly, or halve the larger spinach leaves.
• Brococlini: take off the top florets and chop the stems into small pieces.

Because the general tso’s sauce is quite rich and sweet, it pairs very well with a slightly bitter vegetable.

Note:

You will have to par-cook the broccoli and broccolini before making the general tso’s tofu stir fry (I’ve included the method in the recipe below). But if you’re using other vegetables listed above, you can add them directly into the pan.

What pan to use

If you’re not very experienced in cooking with tofu, I highly recommend using a large nonstick skillet. Because (1) you can easily fry the tofu with less oil (2) the tofu will not stick to the pan and then fall apart when you stir it.

When I made the dish, I used my 12” Debuyer carbon steel pan since it’s my go-to pan for making any stir fry. However the tofu stuck easily and fell apart a little. Plus, since the sauce has vinegar in it, it slightly erodes the seasoning of the pan.

I do NOT recommend using a stainless steel pan. The tofu has a lot of starch and syrup and will get stuck too easily.

How to cook General Tso’s Tofu

1. Spread the marinated tofu in a big pan
2. Cook without moving until both sides turn golden brown, then transfer to a plate
3. Saute the aromatics
4. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until wilted
5. Add back the cooked tofu and add the sauce
6. Stir until the sauce is thickened and evenly coat the ingredients

How to serve General Tso’s Tofu

I highly recommend serving general tso’s tofu with steamed rice. The crispy crunchy tofu bites and saucy vegetables pair so well with a hot bowl of rice. Start your rice before making the stir fry, and you will have a colorful and delicious meal in no time!

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