Kung Pao Tofu

There are some restaurants and foods from the Bay Area that I miss terribly. One of them is Eliza's in San Francisco, which serves amazing Chinese food. Especially the Vegetarian Kung Pao with Tofu.

I thought of calling and asking for the recipe and telling them that I needed it to remain sane! :) But they are known for their rudeness and I wasn't sure they would speak to me for very long!

So I searched the Web and decided to put this recipe together on my own, trying to remember the ingredients that went into it.


Kung Pao Tofu and Broccoli
1 package Extra-Firm Tofu, sliced into bite-sized pieces
5-6 pieces of Broccoli, steamed but still firm
2 cloves Garlic, sliced
2 Spring Onions, chopped fine, green and white parts separated
1/4 cup Roasted Cashewnuts
8-10 dried Red Chillies, broken in half
1 tbsp Oil

Sauce:
Now this is the important part. I combed about 20 recipes and finally decided on Rasa Malaysia's sauce for Kung Pao Chicken.

1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
1 t dark soy sauce
1 t sugar
1/4 t black vinegar
2 T water
1 t corn starch

Toast the tofu pieces in a pan without oil, or bake in a 180 deg C oven for about 10-15 minutes until browned on all sides.


Heat about a tablespoon of peanut oil in a wok or wide pan until smoking hot. Add the garlic and give it a quick stir. Add the whites of the spring onion, stir once. Add the chillies and stir until you get a spicy aroma. Now add the cashewnuts and the broccoli. Another quick stir.

Now add the tofu and stir for a bit until everything is completely combined. Finally add the sauce. Stir until everything is coated and the sauce has thickened. Garnish with the spring onion greens.


It turned out to be great. Home made Kung Pao. I served it with steamed rice and a quick stir-fry of bok choy and sliced mushrooms.


This is off to Sia @ Monsoon Spice for JFI: Soya.