It’s the first day of May. The stay-at-home order is still in effect. In chez Thorburn, we’ve now solidly entered the Phase of Ingredient Substitutions Based On Whatever Is In Our Pantry. Consider that an apology for yet another tofu post.

Explanation: We had a hankering for General Tso’s chicken and green beans recently, but didn’t exactly have chicken…or green beans, not even of the frozen variety. However, we had everything else in the recipe, since we consider items like minced ginger cans, garlic cans, cornstarch, soy sauce, etc. as pantry staples and keep them stocked at all times. So we made this dish with what we did have: everything else, and tofu and broccoli subbing for the main ingredients. Even with this rather drastic substitution, the recipe still lived up to its hype as Epicurious’s “most-loved recipe of 2017.” (And even my husband, who is growing weary of tofu in place of his beloved meat, couldn’t get enough of this dish.)

If you’d prefer straight-up General Tso’s chicken, here is the recipe. Have fun!

Otherwise, here is the tofu and broccoli version.

GENERAL TSO’S TOFU AND BROCCOLI

Ingredients:

Broccoli:

  • 2 heads of broccoli, cut into small-to-medium florets
  • 1 Tbsp oil (olive oil or canola, something with a high smoking point)
  • 1/2 tsp salt*
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

*Use this amount of salt to faithfully replicate the saltiness of Chinese take-out. Consider reducing to 1/4 tsp if you’re salt-sensitive.

Tofu:

  • c. 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • canola oil
  • 1 block extra-firm tofu

Breading for tofu:

  • 6 Tbsp [1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp] cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Sauce:

  • 5 Tbsp [1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp] honey
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp sriracha
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp grated ginger

Other:

  • Roasted broccoli
  • Broiled tofu

Instructions:

1. Press and broil tofu:

  • Place pressed tofu strips on oiled baking sheet, brush with soy sauce, and broil at 500 F for c. 10 minutes.
  • Turn tofu and brush with more soy sauce halfway through.
  • When tofu is golden brown, remove, and cut it into bite-sized cubes.

2. Meanwhile: Cook rice. We used a rice cooker and white jasmine rice.

3. Prep broccoli for roasting, c. 20 minutes at 425 F:

  • Cut into individual florets.
  • Toss with oil, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet.
  • Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until browned adequately to your taste, turning halfway through.

4. Make the General Tso’s sauce:

  • In a small bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, Sriracha, tomato paste, ginger, and 3 Tbsp water, plus 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

5. Fry the tofu:

  • Coat the broiled tofu cubes with cornstarch mixture (cornstarch, salt pepper).
  • Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a wok, large skillet, or Dutch oven over medium-high heat (we make everything in the Dutch oven). Fry cornstarch-breaded tofu until golden brown and crispy on the outside, c. 5 minutes.

6. Finish the dish:

  • Add dried chiles and sauce to pan with the tofu.
  • Stir and simmer until sauce is thickened. It will only take a few minutes!

Serve tofu and broccoli alongside, or on top of, fresh white rice. Garnish with sliced scallions (we didn’t have any), Thai basil, or whatever herb strikes your fancy. We sprinkled sesame seeds on ours.

General Tso’s tofu: Successfully replacing chicken since 2020!