szechuan tofu

Szechuan Tofu

One day last week following both a run and a resistance training day, I decide 'no' to a vegetarian sub at Subway and opt to have protein rich delight: vegetable egg foo yung. It had been a while since I dined at my trusty local Chinese Carryout. I stood there a moment waiting my turn to place my order and I glance at 'today's special's' and see "Szechuan Tofu"! OMG!

I had to try it! I needed to know if they could make it sing! It was delicious. I have since prepared it myself. First, you have to prepare your tofu for easier texture by boiling it in a stock of: carrots, celery, soul food seasoning, pepper, onion powder, salt, and bay leaves. A wok is a must! If you do not have one, I would suggest one. Make the sacrifice, as you do for anything else you favor. This dish sings hot sweet melodies and you don't want to miss a beat!

I shortened my task with the use of Birds Eye Asian Medley that I allowed to thaw and drain. After pan frying the tofu, I tossed in the veggies, added some garlic, onion, my famous sweet 'n sour sauce, a teaspoon of Hoisin Sauce, mostly for color...water to thin it, and let my spatula's go to work. It was delicious. I served it with a vegetarian egg roll and vegetable fried brown rice.

sweet 'n sour tofu (chicken flavored)

Prepare tofu overnight to freeze. This will produce a chewy texture, similar to chicken. This recipe is for 1 cup of sliced tofu.

1 cup of sliced or cubed extra firm tofu, drained
2 T Weber Roasted Garlic & Herb Seasoning
2 T Chicken flavored powdered broth
Zip lock bag

Slice Tofu into small cubes ½ inch squared or slice into strips. Place into boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove. Cool. Press between paper towels to remove excess water. Place in into a shaker bag. Add Seasoning and Chicken flavored powdered broth. Place into freezer. Thaw your tofu when ready to prepare.


For crispy tofu:
prepared, thawed tofu
½ cup all-purpose flour or Corn starch
1 raw egg
Cooking oil

For sauce:
2 T soy sauce
2 T vinegar
2 T brown sugar
3 T ketchup (to taste)
1 T cornstarch (For thicker sauce, use 2-3 T)
¼ t sesame oil (optional)
½ cup water or chicken stock
¼ cup orange juice

For vegetables:
2 stalks green onion, cubed
1 small onion, cubed
1 green bell pepper, cubed
1/2 small carrot, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped


Whisk egg and pour over tofu. Add flour gradually (or corn starch). Mix well until sticky and shiny, break loose pieces of tofu and drop into hot oil 350 degrees. Fry for 5-7 minutes.

They will start to brown. Drain.

Mix water and Corn Starch. Add this and remaining ingredients to sauce pot. Whisk over medium to low heat. It will change from cloudy to translucent. Add more water if too thick. Remove from heat.

Sauté vegetables in a few drops of oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Pour in sauce. Combine fried tofu. Mix until all pieces are covered.

Serve with Egg Roll, crab meat cheese rangoon, and vegetable fried rice.

Sweet 'n Sour Tofu (chicken flavored)