Kung Pao Tofu – Connoisseurus Veg

This Kung Pao tofu is made with chunks of gingery baked tofu tossed with stir fried veggies and peanuts in spicy sauce. A simple Chinese language-inspired vegan dinner that is higher than takeout and simple sufficient for a weeknight!

There was a time once I ate at Chinese language vegetarian eating places always. I liked these locations! Most of them have a full menu that appears like a traditional Chinese language restaurant menu, however each merchandise is completely meatless.

The kung pao tofu was my favourite! Not like most of the dishes that had been made with fried tofu, this dish used baked tofu. It was superior! Baked tofu is scrumptious, and excellent with the finely diced and stir-fried veggies and crispy peanuts you discover in any Kung Pao dish.

So I once I went and determined to create my very own Kung Pao tofu recipe, I marinated and baked my tofu. That was an amazing resolution! This hundreds the tofu with taste, and once you pair it up with crispy stir-fried veggies and drench it in sauce you have obtained one scrumptious meal. This dish is delicious and excellent for all the things from weeknight dinners thus far nights!

Substances You may Want

• Shaoxing wine or dry sherry. Utilizing both of those components will add numerous taste to your baked tofu and sauce, however be at liberty to substitute vegetable broth or water in case you want.
• Soy sauce. Substitute gluten-free tamari if you would like.
• Maple syrup. You’ll be able to substitute with one other liquid sweetener, corresponding to agave.
• Toasted sesame oil. Search for this within the worldwide meals part of your grocery store.
• Ginger.
• Tofu. Additional-firm works greatest for this recipe. It has one of the best texture and is nice at absorbing marinade. You may have to press it earlier than cooking.
• Rice vinegar. You should use one other number of vinegar, corresponding to white vinegar, if that is what you have obtained readily available.
• Hoisin sauce. You will discover this within the worldwide meals sections of most supermarkets.
• Sambal oelek. One other ingredient to search for within the worldwide aisle! Be happy to substitute sriracha or one other scorching sauce, or depart it out for a milder model of the dish.
• Cornstarch.
• Canola oil. Nearly any high-heat oil could be substituted. Peanut oil, vegetable oil, and corn oil are all wonderful selections.
• Garlic.
• Scallions. Often known as inexperienced onions.
• Dried chile peppers. It’s also possible to discover these in Asian markets, or, in case you’re fortunate, at your common grocery retailer (one other merchandise from the worldwide aisle). Depart them out if you would like to scale back the warmth on this dish.
• Bell peppers. Any coloration will work! I used crimson and inexperienced, however orange and yellow additionally work, in any mixture.
• Child corn. Contemporary child corn is good, however canned could be substituted if recent is not out there. Merely add it with the sauce as a substitute of with the peppers, because it will not require as a lot cooking time
• Peanuts. Purchase ones which might be roasted and salted.
• Cooked rice. Serve your kung pao tofu over this. Be happy to make use of your favourite selection — I am an enormous fan of jasmine rice.

Tip: Tip: Be happy to make use of your favourite stir-fry veggies rather than the peppers and child corn, preserving in thoughts that more durable veggies might take a bit extra time to prepare dinner, whereas softer veggies will prepare dinner sooner. Broccoli, carrots, snow peas, and cabbage are all nice choices!

How It is Made

The next is an in depth photograph tutorial on the way to make this dish. Scroll all the way in which down if you would like to skip proper to the recipe!

Bake the Tofu

• Stir the tofu marinade components collectively: Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, and ginger.
• Place diced tofu in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over it. Give all the things a mild stir and let it marinade for half-hour to 12 hours.
• Make sure to cowl and chill it if marinating longer than 2 hours.

Tip: Though marinating the tofu is suggest, you may actually skip this step in case you’re quick on time.

• Organize your tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake it till the items shrink up and turn out to be very agency. Flip them about midway via.

Tip: To save lots of time the day of serving, you may put together the tofu a day or two prematurely. Retailer it in a sealed container within the fridge, and heat it up a bit earlier than including it to your stir-fry.

Make the Stir-Fry

As soon as your tofu has baked, you may transfer on to this step.

• As with every stir-fry, prep your veggies and blend up your sauce first. You may additionally need to slice open your chiles (or reduce them in half) and take away the seeds. Issues will transfer fairly rapidly when you begin cooking!

• Warmth up some oil in a skillet or wok and begin cooking your aromatics: ginger, garlic, scallions (simply the white components) and dried chile peppers. Inside lower than a minute, the garlic and ginger ought to turn out to be very aromatic and your peppers ought to darken up a bit. Use medium warmth at this level.

• Crank up the warmth and prepare to stir-fry. Add diced bell pepper and child corn. Prepare dinner your veggies simply till they turn out to be tender-crisp, stirring them always with a spatula. This could solely take a few minutes.

Tip: A great high quality wok is usually one of the best vessel for stir-frying. I like to recommend utilizing a carbon steel wok like this one. In any other case, a big nonstick skillet (corresponding to a forged iron one) will do.

• Add your baked tofu to the wok, together with the peanuts. Fastidiously pour the sauce in.

• Proceed to stir-fry all the things for a few minute, simply till the sauce thickens up.

Notice: At all times be tremendous cautious when pouring sauce right into a scorching cooking vessel, significantly when the sauce comprises alcohol (which is flammable).

• High your kung pao tofu with the inexperienced components of your scallions and serve it with rice.

Leftovers & Storage

Leftover kung pao tofu will maintain in an hermetic container within the fridge for about 3 days, or within the freezer for about 3 months.

Steadily Requested Questions

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Kung Pao Tofu

This Kung Pao tofu is made with chunks of gingery baked tofu tossed with stir fried veggies and peanuts in spicy sauce. A simple vegan dinner that is higher than takeout and simple sufficient for a weeknight!

Marinating + Tofu Urgent 45 minutes

Whole Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Substances

For the Baked Tofu

• 2
  tablespoons
  Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
  (substitute water or vegetable broth for a non-alcoholic model)
• 2
  tablespoons
  soy sauce or tamari
• 2
  tablespoons
  maple syrup
• 1
  teaspoon
  toasted sesame oil
• 2
  teaspoons
  freshly grated ginger
• 1
  (14 ounce or 400 gram) bundle
  further agency tofu,
  drained, pressed for at the very least quarter-hour, and reduce into ½ inch cubes

For the Kung Pao Sauce

• 3
  tablespoons
  soy sauce or tamari
• 2
  tablespoons
  rice vinegar
• 2
  tablespoons
  maple syrup
• 2
  tablespoons
  hoisin sauce
• 1
  tablespoon
  Shaoxing wine or sherry
  (omit for an alcohol-free model)
• 1
  tablespoon
  sambal oelek,
  or to style, optionally available
• 2
  teaspoons
  cornstarch

For the Stir-Fry

• 2
  tablespoons
  canola oil
• 3
  garlic cloves,
  minced
• 2
  teaspoons
  freshly grated ginger
• 3
  scallions,
  chopped, white and inexperienced components separated
• 5-10
  dried chile peppers,
  sliced open and seeds eliminated
• 2
  bell peppers,
  any coloration, diced (½ inch)
• 2
  cups
  recent child corn,
  reduce into 1 inch sections
• ½
  cup
  roasted and salted peanuts

Directions

To Make the Baked Tofu

1. Stir the wine, soy sauce or tamari, maple syrup, sesame oil and ginger collectively in a shallow dish. Add the tofu and gently stir the tofu to coat it with sauce. 

2. When you have the time, enable the tofu to marinate for half-hour or as much as 12 hours (Notice 1). If you do not have time, don’t fret about it!

3. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Organize the tofu cubes in a good layer on the baking sheet. 

4. Bake the tofu for 30-35 minutes, till the items have darkened and shrunken a bit, flipping them midway via.

Make the Stir-Fry

1. Whisk all components for the sauce collectively in a small bowl.

2. Coat the underside of a big wok or skillet with the oil and place it over excessive warmth. 

3. Give the oil a minute to warmth up, then add the garlic, ginger, white components of scallions, and dried chili peppers to the pan. 

4. Stir-fry the components till the garlic and ginger turn out to be aromatic and the chili peppers darken a bit, about 1 minute.

5. Add the bell peppers and child corn. Stir-fry the veggies till they’re tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. 

6. Decrease the warmth a bit, then rigorously add the sauce, tofu, and peanuts to the pan (Notice 2). Proceed to stir-fry simply till all the components are scorching and coated with sauce, about 1 minute. 

7. Take away the pan from warmth and stir within the inexperienced components of scallions.

Serve

1. Divide onto plates and serve with rice.

Recipe Notes

1. Cowl and refrigerate the tofu if marinating it for greater than 2 hours.
2. Be tremendous cautious when including sauce to a scorching wok or skillet and take into account that alcohol is flammable. Be careful for sputtering.
3. That is meant to be spicy! For those who aren’t into that, skip the dried chiles and the Asian chili paste. For those who aren’t positive of simply how into that you’re, simply skip the chiles and add the chili paste on the finish, a bit at a time.
4. Vitamin data doesn’t embody rice.

 

Vitamin Information

Kung Pao Tofu

Quantity Per Serving

Energy 468
Energy from Fats 209

% Each day Worth*

Fats 23.2g36%

Saturated Fats 4g20%

Sodium 1291mg54%

Potassium 774mg22%

Carbohydrates 46g15%

Fiber 6.4g26%

Sugar 21.7g24%

Protein 19.1g38%

Calcium 220mg22%

Iron 6.1mg34%

* P.c Each day Values are primarily based on a 2000 calorie eating regimen.