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| Day 5 - General Tso's Tofu |
I thought that might entice you! Tonight I made a dish many people are
familiar with, even if the origin of it is a bit hazy and
unconventional. That, up there, is some super crispy, extra yummy tofu for...General Tso's Tofu! While typically made with chicken, tofu is not an uncommon meat substitute for the sweet/tangy/spicy sauce. Speaking of sauce, most recipes consist of a varying combination of soy sauce, rice wine, rice wine vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, dried
red chili peppers (whole), garlic, and MSG. I used all of these ingredients to make the following sauce, except the MSG because I didn't have any on hand. Oh! I also added some minced ginger.
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| Tofu crunch! |
Bit o' History: While it may be the most popular item at your favorite Chinese restaurant, General Tso's chicken isn't so popular beyond western borders. It's thought to have originated in the United States after the mid-twentieth-century exodus of Chinese to the U.S., where it was first mentioned in a 1977 New York Times publication. Named after Qing dynasty general and statesman Tso Tsung-tang, or Zuo Zongtang - who was an utterly ruthless military man. This dude quelled rebellions in record time, and he quickly climbed up the political/military ladder in China, eventually being appointed to the Qing Empire's Grand Council. He's also got a pretty taste meal named after him.
No recipe this time, but a quick good search will give you plenty of hits for techniques and sauces!
Wow, that look SO good. I made the recipe once before but it didn't look that delicious!
ReplyDeletefantastic pics! this is a great example of how you don't need a recipe to entice someone to try a recipe. i'm definitely gonna google around for one and make this soon based off the pics alone.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Corrina, I definitely agree with you. I think photos do a great job at persuading me to seek out a particular recipe.
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