Tofu Tsos For Average Joes Recipes

GENERAL TSO'S TOFU

Steps:

• Place tofu onto a plate lined with several paper towels. Cover with more paper towels and another plate. Set a 3- to 5-pound weight on top and press tofu for 30 minutes. Drain and discard any accumulated liquid.
• Place tofu cubes in a shallow bowl. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and sesame oil. Gently stir to coat. Let sit for 10 minutes or until tofu has absorbed most of the liquid.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce by whisking soy sauce, maple syrup, sambal oelek, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, cornstarch, and green onions together in a bowl. Set aside.
• Drain any remaining liquid from the tofu. Place cornstarch in a gallon-sized plastic resealable bag. Drop tofu cubes in the bag, seal, and gently shake until coated with cornstarch.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook tofu for 4 minutes. Flip with tongs and cook until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes more. Transfer tofu to a plate and wipe the skillet clean.
• Pour sauce into the skillet and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Return tofu to the skillet and toss to combine.

TOFU GENERAL TSO'S

Steps:

• Take tofu out of liquid it came in and chop into 1 inch cubes, press these between two towels to take out the moisture and dry them.
• Mix rice vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, 2 Tbsp Sesame oil, and chili oil to taste. Add to this the cubes of tofu, cover and let marinate in refrigerator at least 4 hours, preferably over night.
• Next, remove the tofu from the marinade. Try to remove as much outer moisture from them as you can. Set them aside.
• Take the marinade and add to it the 5 tsp Cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar. Then whisk it together.
• In a large sauce pan bring the marinade (now General Tso's Sauce) to boiling over medium low heat. It should be thick when done. Then remove from heat.
• Beat two eggs, and immerse the tofu in them, covering all sides with egg. Then remove the tofu and place it on a paper towel. Then toss the tofu in the 1/2 cup cornstarch to lightly cover each side. Shake off the excess.
• Heat 1/2 cup oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Then place in the tofu, turn it during cooking so that each side gets browned.
• When all sides are browned, place the tofu on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil. Then add the tofu into the sauce and heat over low for 3-5 minutes until everything is heated through.
• Enjoy.

TOFU TSO'S FOR AVERAGE JOES

Steps:

• Open box of tofu carefully, and put tofu on cutting board.
• Slice lengthwise into 4 equal portions, and lay flat on a double-thickness of towel(or, I like unused clean cloth diapers--they absorb really well, without lint), place another double-thickness on top, and place a baking sheet on top of all, and weigh down with something heavy, like a book, or baby, or something.
• Let it sit, and if you want to change the towels, even better. Give it about 20 minutes.
• Cut the pieces into 3/4 inch cubes, about the size of dice.
• Beat the eggs and water together.
• Place cornstarch and bullion powder in another bowl, and stir together.
• Heat about 2-3 inches of oil to about 350 degrees.
• Dip pieces of tofu into the egg, then dust heavily with the cornstarch, and carefully place 5-6 pieces in the oil at a time--you don't want to change the temp of the oil too drastically by putting in too many, and you don't want them to stick together by crowding them.
• Fry until brown and crispy, about 2 minutes, depending.
• Drain in a colander.
• Repeat process until done.
• This can be done a couple of hours in advance, but don't seal the container while hot, because they'll get soggy.
• I just cover with a paper towel.
• Now, for the sauce, mix the rice wine, sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch (2tsp)--I usually shake them together in a jar) Feel free to double sauce to taste--it works fine.
• Add a tbsp oil to a skillet, heat, and stir fry the garlic until aromatic, but not burned.
• Toss tofu in the oil, stir around to heat and crisp a little more, then add the sauce mixture into the pan, and stir to coat tofu, and let thicken--about 1 minute.
• Serve hot, over rice, preferably.