Kung Pao Tofu

If you like Chinese food, you should really this sweet, salty, and spicy Kung Pao tofu. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and it's such a great weeknight dinner!

Course Entrées

Cuisine American, Chinese

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 8

Cook Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 145kcal

Author Sina

Ingredients

For the Tofu:

14 oz firm or extra-firm tofu
2 tablespoons corn starch
sesame oil

Vegetables:

5 green onions, cut into rings
2 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
red pepper flakes, to taste

For the Sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Cut the tofu into cubes and put it in a bowl. Add two tablespoons of corn starch. Make sure all cubes are covered in corn starch.
Dice the bell peppers.
Cut the green onions into rings and finely chop the garlic and the ginger.
Heat some sesame oil in a large pan. Cook until lightly browned and crispy.
In the meantime, make the sauce. Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until combined.
Once the tofu is crispy, set aside.
Heat some more sesame oil in the same pan and add the garlic, the ginger, and half of the green onions. Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat. Stir constantly.
Then add the remaining green onions and the bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Stir a few times. Then add the tofu, the peanuts, and the sauce and stir carefully. Season with red pepper flakes. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Serve the kung pao tofu with rice and sprinkle with more green onions.

Notes

Tofu: You need firm tofu for this recipe. The firmer, the better. If the tofu you are using is not firm enough, you could press your tofu with a tofu press or a stack of cookbooks and paper towel for 30 minutes before starting with the actual recipe. Check out my tips on how to press tofu.
Spiciness: I made my Kung Pao tofu relatively mild by only seasoning it with red pepper flakes. If you're looking for a spicy version, you could fry up some roughly chopped dried red chilies together with the green onions, the garlic, and the ginger. This will make it really spicy! You could also fry up some dried chilies in sesame oil first and then remove them before adding the other ingredients. This way the oil will become a bit spicy.

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