General Tso’s Soy Chicken
For the ‘Chicken’:
1 1/4 cups firm tofu
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. boiled shitake mushroom stems
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 Tbsp. oil
• In a food processor, blend the tofu, mushroom stems, cornstarch, salt, sugar, pepper, five-spice powder, and baking powder until coarsely ground. Remove and wrap tightly with cheesecloth. Steam for 20 minutes and cut into bite-size pieces.
• Mix the wheat flour and the oil together in a bowl. Coat the tofu pieces thoroughly with the flour mixture and deep-fry until golden brown. Remove from the oil.
For the General Tso’s Sauce:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1 cup cold vegetable broth
Whole chili peppers, to taste
• Combine all the ingredients in a wok or frying pan and heat on high.
• Add the fried tofu pieces and stir until covered with the sauce. Serve immediately with a ring of steamed broccoli.
Makes 4 servings