Fantastic!! Considering it is a healthier alternative to the full fat version of Kung Pao I have made this 9 times with no adjustments. This is a staple in my home weekly.
Pretty good It was pretty tasty and easy to make plus my kids ate it:) If you're looking for traditional Kung Pao though this is not it. It was not spicy enough or probably oily enough. But I wanted a healthy tasty meal and that's exactly what I got! Pros: Easy quick tasty Cons: Not spicy
Peanuts soft The peanuts did not come out like a traditional Chinese dish. Maybe they need to be quickly fried first? Not sure but mine were soft and the texture not good. Additionally you can't fry tofu properly according to this recipe. Have tried a million times and it comes out a soggy mess stuck to the bottom. You have to really fry it in oil at med-high heat - needs to be enough oil for the tofu to float! Then you'll get your nice golden tofu with white insides. If you follow this recipe it will all stick to your pan or be soggy and break into pieces. I've been reading the recipes and comments on this site and people want to make a good recipe out of what's given not invent their own stuff to add on the fly. I'm tired of not knowing what to make picking a recipe that seems good only to find out my family hates it because it's just not good. It kills the adventurous cooking spirit. Pros: Nice combo of items Cons: Peanuts soft Bland as it. Not authentic I think
Wonderful and healthy! I really liked the simplicity of this recipe. I was originally worried that without adding some type of brown sugar or sweetener like many other stir fry sauces call for that it would be too salty or lack dimension. The five spice powder and the cinnamon in it actually added a hint of sweet flavor to the dish. I made this for my mother who had never tried tofu and she absolutely loved it. I served it over whole wheat udon noodles and added some snow peas to the vegetable mix. Pros: Easy no added sugar or sweeteners
Particularly dull! There are certainly better ways to jazz this up. The sauce has no depth and the dish is very light on garlic and ginger. It needs some Sichuan peppercorns to give it some punch. shen Berkeley CA
Based on the other comments (thanks everyone) we added crushed red pepper flakes along with the ginger and garlic to give it that punch we expect with Kung Pao. It did the trick. Jordan Long Beach CA
It was good. Make sure and marinade the tofu in the sauce and then make another batch of sauce to add to veggies. Also Spice oil should not be optional! Vivienne Dexter MO
I make Asian dishes often and loved this as did my Chinese friend although I made several changes based on what I had available so the result was not an authentic Kung Pao but it turned out wonderfully not bland at all! As one cook suggested I marinated the drained and diced tofu with the 5-spice and a splash a soy sauce ahead of time. I increased the ginger and garlic by about half. I added some thin sliced celery to the vege selection. I substituted about 2 tsp. of black bean paste (Asian markets have it a staple) for the oyster sauce with about a 1/2 tsp. of toasted dark sesame oil and a pinch of sugar in the cornstarch mix. I did not have hot chili oil either but sprinkled in cayenne for the "hot" to taste. Essential was adding 4 finely chopped spring onions (scallions) with the peanuts at the end and then garnishing with minced Chinese parsley (cilantro) delicious served over basmati rice. I know not the same recipe as presented but totally inspired from it and a keeper. red Eugene OR
I thought this was delicious. For those who thought it was bland you obviously didn't add the hot sesame oil. Also try adding more veggies anything you want. Mushrooms would go great with it. You aren't restricted to what the recipe lists. Be creative. That said I followed the recipe and everyone in the family - even those not crazy about tofu - really liked it. Helen San Fran CA
Sorry but I just tried making this dish and it needed more oil. To fry something for 7-9 minutes tofu and then the peppers and broccoli after that for another 4 minutes with a total of 1 tlbs of oil is a disaster. I may try again but this time with a little more oil. Mark C Buffalo NY
Terrific dish--we've made this several times and always enjoy it. The hot sesame oil is a must. This is a fast and healthful recipe. Susan OH
We rarely eat out so don't know what kung pao is supposed to taste like but we found this dish colorful and satisfying. My husband usually eats broccoli only because it's healthful he doesn't approve of cooked tofu and he hates garlic. Yet he was disappointed that I hadn't made enough Kung Pao Tofu for second helpings. Anonymous Bellingham WA
I think the reason everyone's saying the recipe is bland is because it doesn't ask you to marinate the tofu. I chopped it into cubes and marinated it in soy sauce; pineapple and orange juice; mirin; some of the 5-spice powder; and salt for about 5 hours. I also used the sesame oil in the end. It turned out great! I definitely want to make this again! Ali Auburn AL
MmmmMmmm Good! My new favorite recipe and I will make it over and over again! Just adjust your spice level to your own desire and never go out to eat again! Cathie LA CA
Wow made this and loved it. I don't know what everyone else who reviewed this did. I did add Mongolian Fire Oil as I could not find spicy seasame oil. And I doubled the amount and it was nice and spicy. I am going to try it again and add pepers to it as well. Eric Ducat Los Angeles CA
We didn't even spice it up and really loved it! I have to say that we do not normally eat Kung Pao anything at Chinese restaurants so were not comparing it to anything. I am rating this dish on its own merits. I am planning to try it spicy in the future. Susan Dallas TX
But to make it very good... we doubled the sauce recipe and served it over rice noodles. And the chile oil is not optional that stuff really adds a bang. Jessie Madison WI
Horrid. Kung pao should be nuclear hot so a real misnomer the photo looks nice though. Blander than eating wallboard if I ever had to eat that when I was starving. I even put 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes in it to spice it up since we only had plain sesame oil and it was still bland: a real loser skip it or add like a TBSP of red pepper flakes or some sechuan peppercorns. Captyar Bethesda MD
As the two star rating denotes this dish was just okay. Edible certainly but nothing that knocked anyone's socks off. Judith La Crescenta CA
Made this tonight. We thought it was satisfying but also rather bland. Wouldn't compare to restaurant Kung Pao not nearly spicy enough. Sandy Seattle WA
Hmm... I'm not sure where the Kung Pao comes from because it tastes nothing like the Kung Pao sauce you get at a Chinese restaurant. Usually Eating Well gets it right but I would say a big pass on this one if you are planning on making it. It's pretty boring. Julie Burlington VT
We got to the asian market weekly and had all the ingredients in our pantry this was really awful no heat at all blandsville. Wouldn't' recommend it it needs major rework with like 5 dried chiles or add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes and I don't have the patience to tinker with it there are way better tofu recipes on this site and kungpao recipes out there on the web.
REALLY REALLY GREAT - THE SMALL AMOUNT OF OIL WORKS GREAT WHEN YOU USE A WOK TO DO THE COOKING. MAYBE IT'S NOT "AUTHENTIC" KUNG PAO BUT IT HAS FANTASTIC FLAVOR AND SOOOOO HEALTHY AND FILLING. GREAT ADDITION: SRIRACHA SAUCE!
OYSTER sauce is not a vegetarian ingredient in any way shape or form. Promoting this dish as vegetarian is grossly misleading and an affront to those following a vegetarian diet. 'Without overt meat ingredients' does not qualify a recipe as vegetarian. Please investigate recipes more thoroughly before indicating their suitability for any particular dietary plan.
It says oyster "flavored" sauce to make it vegetarian...in the tips and notes section...
Really good We skipped the "oyster flavored sauce" and used soy sauce instead. Overall it was quite good and I would definitely make it again.
