Kung Pao Tofu
This kung pao tofu recipe is easily the most delicious way to eat tofu. It's spicy, tangy, sweet, and has is a flavor and texture bomb. This recipe is a total must-try!
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
Ingredients
To prep tofu
- 500 gms tofu cut into ½ inch cubes
- 4 cups water
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
Tofu marinade
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ½ teaspoon crushed pepper
- ¼ cup corn flour
Kung pao sauce
- 2 teaspoons vinegar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
Kung pao stir fry
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or any neutral flavoured oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 4 dried red chillies broken into 2
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
- 4 spring onion whites thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sichuan pepper crushed
- ¼ cup groundnuts roasted and de-skinned
Other
- 1 teaspoon cornflour mixed in ¾ cup water to make a slurry
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil additional ¼ cup cooking oil if deep frying
- ¼ cup finely chopped spring onion greens
Instructions
Prepping tofu
- Heat water in a pot with salt and when it boils, add tofu, cook on low for 2 minutes, take off the heat and rest for 5 minutes. Drain water and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Discard the water.500 gms tofu, 4 cups water, 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
Marinating tofu
- Take tofu in a bowl, add all ingredients listed under marinade, give a good toss and set aside.1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons honey, ½ teaspoon crushed pepper, ¼ cup corn flour
Air frying tofu
- Pre-heat air fryer at 180 C. brush the airfryer basket with oil. Place the marinated tofu with some gap between each other and air fry at 180C for 5 minutes, brush oil, DO NOT FLIP and air fry at 190 C for 4 minutes. Air fry them in batches and set aside. It's important to wait for 4-5 minutes until the fried tofu cools a bit to remove them easily from the basket as they stick to the basket when they are too hot.1 tablespoon cooking oil
Deep Frying tofu
- Heat oil in a wok or kadai and once it's medium hot, drop the marinated tofu & fry on medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until they turn golden and crisp. Fry them in batches and set aside.1 tablespoon cooking oil
Kung pao sauce
- Take all the ingredients mentioned under kung pao sauce in a bowl & mix to combine well. Set aside.2 teaspoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
Kung pao stir fry
- Heat oil & toasted sesame oil in a wok, add garlic, ginger, red chillies, spring onion whites and saute on high for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add sichuan pepper, groundnuts and toss them once. Add kung pao sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Add cornflour slurry while stirring continuously and cook for 2 minutes(see note 2). Add the fried tofu, spring onion greens and toss to combine well. Serve.2 tablespoons sunflower oil or any neutral flavoured oil, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 4 dried red chillies, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic, 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger, 4 spring onion whites, 1 teaspoon sichuan pepper, ¼ cup groundnuts roasted and de-skinned, 1 teaspoon cornflour mixed in ¾ cup water to make a slurry, ¼ cup finely chopped spring onion greens
Video
Notes
- Tofu is prepped in this way to season them well, so do not skip it.
- Cornflour slurry forms lumps if it is not stirred continuously.
Nutrition
Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 1755mg | Potassium: 197mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 321IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 203mg | Iron: 3mg