This is presented as a "quick recipe" in Cook's Country, using chicken instead of tofu. I question their definition of quick; the tofu takes longer to prep, but even accounting for that, there's a fair amount of preparation needed before you start the actual cooking part, which does go pretty quickly.

Relative to the original recipe, we bumped up the amount of cashews a bit, and doubled the amount of marinade since the tofu soaks it up much more aggressively than chicken does. The original also includes some ingredients that are substitutions for shaoxing wine and black vinegar; since we have both on hand, we de-substituted them.

It goes well with sesame-ginger bok choi.

Cashew Tofu

Cook's Country

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs extra firm tofu, frozen, thawed, pressed, and drained
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 3+2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1+1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• ⅓ C hoisin sauce
• ½ C water
• 1 tbsp black vinegar
• 3 tbsp corn oil
• 1½ C raw cashews
• 2-3 celery ribs, sliced on bias ¼" thick
• 6 scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1" pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Slice the tofu into ½" pieces.
2. Whisk together cornstarch, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, 3 tbsp light soy, and 1 tbsp dark soy. Toss with tofu and set aside as the tofu absorbs the marinade.
3. Whisk together remaining 2 tbsp light and 1 tbsp dark soy, hoisin sauce, water, and black vinegar.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cashews and cook, stirring constantly, until rich golden brown, 4-6 minutes (10+ if cooking from frozen). Remove cashews with a slotted spoon and set aside; retain oil.
5. Add tofu and cook, stirring frequently, until brown and starting to crisp, 5-10 minutes.
6. Add celery, scallion whites, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes and cook until celery begins to soften, ~2 minutes.
7. Add hoisin mixture, bring to a boil, and simmer until sauce thickens, another 2-4 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and stir in scallion greens and cashews.