There was a time when I ate at Chinese vegetarian restaurants constantly. I loved those places! Most of them have a full menu that looks like a normal Chinese restaurant menu, but every item is totally meatless. The kung pao tofu was my favorite! Unlike many of the dishes that were made with fried tofu, this dish used baked tofu. It was awesome! Baked tofu is delicious, and perfect with the finely diced and stir-fried veggies and crispy peanuts you find in any Kung Pao dish. So I when I went and decided to create my own Kung Pao tofu recipe, I marinated and baked my tofu. That was a great decision! This loads the tofu with flavor, and when you pair it up with crispy stir-fried veggies and drench it in sauce you’ve got one delicious meal. This dish is scrumptious and perfect for everything from weeknight dinners to date nights!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Shaoxing wine or dry sherry. Using either of these ingredients will add lots of flavor to your baked tofu and sauce, but feel free to substitute vegetable broth or water if you prefer. Soy sauce. Substitute gluten-free tamari if you’d like. Maple syrup. You can substitute with another liquid sweetener, such as agave. Toasted sesame oil. Look for this in the international foods section of your supermarket. Ginger. Tofu. Extra-firm works best for this recipe. It has the best texture and is great at absorbing marinade. You’ll need to press it before cooking. Rice vinegar. You can use another variety of vinegar, such as white vinegar, if that’s what you’ve got on hand. Hoisin sauce. You can find this in the international foods sections of most supermarkets. Sambal oelek. Another ingredient to look for in the international aisle! Feel free to substitute sriracha or another hot sauce, or leave it out for a milder version of the dish. Cornstarch. Canola oil. Just about any high-heat oil can be substituted. Peanut oil, vegetable oil, and corn oil are all fine choices. Garlic. Scallions. Also known as green onions. Dried chile peppers. You can also find these in Asian markets, or, if you’re lucky, at your regular grocery store (another item from the international aisle). Leave them out if you’d like to reduce the heat in this dish. Bell peppers. Any color will work! I used red and green, but orange and yellow also work, in any combination. Baby corn. Fresh baby corn is ideal, but canned can be substituted if fresh isn’t available. Simply add it with the sauce instead of with the peppers, since it won’t require as much cooking time Peanuts. Buy ones that are roasted and salted. Cooked rice. Serve your kung pao tofu over this. Feel free to use your favorite variety — I’m a big fan of jasmine rice.
Tip: Tip: Feel free to use your favorite stir-fry veggies in place of the peppers and baby corn, keeping in mind that harder veggies may take a bit more time to cook, while softer veggies will cook faster. Broccoli, carrots, snow peas, and cabbage are all great options!
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Bake the Tofu
Stir the tofu marinade ingredients together: Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, and ginger. Place diced tofu in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over it. Give everything a gentle stir and let it marinade for 30 minutes to 12 hours. Be sure to cover and chill it if marinating longer than 2 hours.
Tip: Although marinating the tofu is recommend, you can certainly skip this step if you’re short on time.
Arrange your tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake it until the pieces shrink up and become very firm. Flip them about halfway through.
Tip: To save time the day of serving, you can prepare the tofu a day or two in advance. Store it in a sealed container in the fridge, and warm it up a bit before adding it to your stir-fry.
Make the Stir-Fry
Once your tofu has baked, you can move on to this step.
As with any stir-fry, prep your veggies and mix up your sauce first. You’ll also want to slice open your chiles (or cut them in half) and remove the seeds. Things will move pretty quickly once you start cooking!
Tip: A good quality wok is generally the best vessel for stir-frying. I recommend using a carbon steel wok like this one. Otherwise, a large nonstick skillet (such as a cast iron one) will do. Note: Always be super careful when pouring sauce into a hot cooking vessel, particularly when the sauce contains alcohol (which is flammable).
Top your kung pao tofu with the green parts of your scallions and serve it with rice.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover kung pao tofu will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
More Chinese-Inspired Vegan Recipes
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