Vegan Kung Pao TofuRecipe by Mary's Test Kitchen

Hello friends and not yet friends, Happy Lunar New Year! Today we're veganizing kung pao chicken, a
spicy, intensely flavoured dish with its roots in Sichuan cuisine but has travelled the world. And now, this version doesn't even have chicken. Purists hate me. But you're going to love this! Start with a block of extra firm tofu.

No need to press it, just cube it up. Then put the cubes in a bowl with cornstarch
and mix them gently so everything gets coated nicely. Make sure you have all your ingredients sliced
up, measured and ready to go because the stir fry goes fast once we get started. As usual, the recipe with all the exact measurements
is on marystestkitchen.Com, link in the description box.

For the spice, I'm using some dried whole
red chilies. I'm taking out some of the seeds, probably
80% of them so this dish won't be super hot. For more heat, leave in more seeds. Also, I'm not using Szechaun pepper for that
mouth numbing sensation.

Some might say that it's the point of Kung
Pao Chicken. To that I say, you aint the boss of me and
there are no rules. You do what you want. For the sauce, you will need these three sauces.

Regular soy sauce for the salt, dark soy sauce
which is less salty but more flavourful, and Chinese Black vinegar for it's own distinct
flavour and essential tanginess. Links in the description box if you want the
exact brands that I'm using. When you have all your ingredients ready to
go, take it to the stove. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil over medium
high heat and we're going to fry up the tofu.

We're going to fry them on all sides until
they are golden and crispy. The final dish isn't crispy though; this just
makes the tofu denser and chewier; more meaty. It also removes some of the moisture from
inside and lets the sauce penetrate the cubes so it'll taste really flavourful. Sometimes bland tofu is okay.

Not in Kung Pao Tofu! You can also skip the pan frying and do this
in the oven or air fryer. 360F in your air fryer for about 20 to 30
minutes or until they are crunchy on the outside. Go a little hotter and a little longer if
you're using the oven. And for those options, you don't really need
to use cornstarch and a little spray of oil would be beneficial for texture and flavour
but it's possible without any oil if that's your thing.

But frying in oil does create it's own distinct
flavour so if you want that legit take out flavour, you know what to do. Drain the tofu on paper towels. Then we'll add the chilies and let them get
fragrant. Just 10 to 15 seconds, then add the scallion
whites and light green parts.

FYI, scallions are green onions, which are
the same as spring onions. After a few seconds of that, add the garlic
and ginger, stirring quickly so it doesn't burn. Give the sauce mix a little stir before adding
that too. It'll start to thicken up really quickly and
when it does, turn off the heat and add the tofu.

Add half the scallion greens and fold to coat
everything. The sauce will be mostly absorbed into the
tofu but if you want a little more gravy, just add a bit of broth to thin things out. I toasted almonds for this dish instead of
the usual roasted peanuts. Just didn't want to go to the store for peanuts.

But I actually loved the stove top toasted
almonds for this dish. Serve this over plain rice to balance those
intense flavours. The sticky spicy sauce is just a little tangy
with a strong soy sauce flavour. The tofu is meaty and delicious.

With the crunch of the toasted almonds. You've got to try this dish! And then take a photo and tag me on instagram
and you might see it on my stories. I love showing your work off. Anyways, thanks so much for watching, my friends.

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I've got more vegan Chinese food recipes coming
up over the next few weeks and you won't want to miss them! Bye for now!.