Kung Pao Tofu

What’s not to love about Kung Pao Tofu. The crispy, marinated tofu. The scrumptious sticky sauce. The combination of the spicy, savoury, sweet and sour. The crunchy vegetables and cashews. All these elements combine provide contrasting textures and tastes in a final dish which makes you salivate.

Kung pao chicken is a common appetiser served in Chinese restaurants and this is a vegan version of this classic. The sauce has a wonderful balance of flavours, and is the base of this dish. The shaoxine wine, black vinegar and rice vinegar add an acidic flavour which is balanced perfectly by the palm sugar. We add the Doubanjiang which is a Chinese bean paste made from fermented broad beans and chilli peppers. This is generally when cooking in a stir fry and in Sichuan cooking and helps provide a spicy oomph along with giving the dish a umami touch. The potato starch helps in thickening and giving the sauce its glaze.

Despite there being a sauce, the main flavour in this dish comes from the marinade as these are flavours soak into the tofu. It is a very simple marinade, with saltiness from the soya sauce and acidity of the shaoxine wine combining perfectly and giving the tofu its unique sour flavour. Stir frying helps get crispness in the tofu and a vibrant colour to the peppers, bringing the dish to life. These elements combine perfectly to create a balance of flavours and give the dish a glorious glaze. Perfect to serve as an appetiser or on a bed of rice.

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Helpful Tips and Tricks to Make Kung Pao Tofu:

• Tofu contains a lot of water and you don’t want a soggy tofu so its important to drain the tofu to get a crispy crust when stir frying.
• Marinating the tofu also helps in reducing its water content and helps to turn crisp on the outside.
• You can drain and marinate the tofu and keep refrigerated for 2 days.
• Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepared and ready to go into the pan before you start cooking as with all stir-fry the cooking process is very quick.

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Kung Pao Tofu

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 8 Minutes 8 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

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Ingredients

For Sauce:

• 1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce or tamari sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp shaoxine wine
• 1 tbsp black vinegar
• 2 tsp Doubanjiang (bean paste)
• 2 tsp palm sugar
• 1/2 tsp potato starch
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 3 tbsp water

For Marinade:

• 400 grams firm tofu, drained and cut into 1" cubes
• 1 tbsp shaoxine wine
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp potato starch

For Stir-Fry:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6-8 dry chillies
• Handful of cashews
• 2-3 fresh red chillies
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1/2 green pepper, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 2 spring onions, cut diagonally

method

1. For the sauce: In a bowl add the dark soy sauce, shoaxing wine, rice vinegar, black vinegar, doubanjiang, palm sugar, potato starch and white pepper. Stir well and keep aside.
2. Marinate the Tofu: Stir together the shaoxing wine, soy sauce, salt and potato starch and stir until no clumps remain. Add the tofu and gently swirl to coat with the marinade. Keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
3. Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add 2 tbsp of oil along with the cashew nuts and dry chillies. Stir fry until the cashew nuts turn golden brown and the chillies are dark red in colour. Transfer them out of the pan and keep aside.
4. In the same oil add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Drain the excess marinade and add the marinated tofu to the pan in a single layer. Stir fry the tofu, when it starts to brown, turn them over to cook the other side.
5. Add the sliced onions, red and green peppers along with the fresh red chillies and toss with the tofu until their colours   become vibrant and the onions are translucent. Add the cashew nuts and chillies to the pan, stir well. 
6. Add the sauce and stir until all the vegetables are well coated and the sauce has thickened into a shiny glaze. Add the chopped green onions and serve with hot rice. 

Did You Make This Recipe?

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