Kung Pao Tofu
This delicious Kung Pao Tofu is a restaurant style spicy, sweet and sour main course. Perfect weekend meal.
Servings 4
Calories 298kcal
Equipment
- 1 Skillet
Ingredients
- 16 oz. tofu firm tofu or 450 gm
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil if skillet frying or oil for brushing when Air frying
For Kung pao sauce
- 3 tbsp. dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. hot sauce or Sriracha sauce
- 2 tsp. corn starch
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
For sauteeing
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 4 red chillies dry
- 2 peppers green or red cut into slices or cubes
- 1 onion quarter and separate petals
- ¼ cup peanuts roasted and salted
- 2 scallions chopped
- 1 tsp. minced ginger
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
Instructions
- For the tofu: Cut the tofu into squares. Press it well to remove all the moisture. Now toss it with 1 tbsp. of corn starch and coat well.
Saute the Tofu:
- Take 1 tbsp. of sesame oil in a cast iron skillet. Saute tofu till crispy and keep aside.
Air fry tofu
- Preheat Air fryer to 180 C or 360 F for 5 minutes. Lay out the tofu in one layer after spraying or brushing with some sesame oil. Air fry for about 8 minutes at 180 C or till crispy on both sides. Remove and keep aside.
For the Kung Pao sauce:
- Mix together dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, hot sauce, brown sugar and rice vinegar along with cornstarch and form a slurry.
Putting it all together
- In 1 tbsp. sesame oil saute together 4 dried red chillies along with minced ginger and garlic. Add cubed onions, scallions and peppers and saute for a minute more.
- Now add the Kung Pao sauce along with crispy tofu. Cook for a couple of minutes till the tofu is well coated and the sauce is thick. Garnish with peanuts, scallion greens and cilantro leaves. Your Kung Pao tofu is ready. Serve hot.
Notes
1. It is important that the tofu be pressed well and dried so that it turns crispy on cooking.
2. You can choose how hot you want your Kung Pao sauce by skipping hot sauce and dry chillies.
3. I use dark soy sauce for its flavour but you can use light or regular soy sauce too.
4. You could add other vegetables like mushrooms or broccoli as well. 5. You can use yellow, red and green peppers for more color.
2. You can choose how hot you want your Kung Pao sauce by skipping hot sauce and dry chillies.
3. I use dark soy sauce for its flavour but you can use light or regular soy sauce too.
4. You could add other vegetables like mushrooms or broccoli as well. 5. You can use yellow, red and green peppers for more color.
Nutrition
Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Sodium: 725mg | Potassium: 287mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 178mg | Iron: 3mg