This burmese tofu recipe will show you how easy it is to make your own chickpea tofu. And how to cook it into a fresh and delicious meal with a flavourful garlic, ginger and chilli sauce.
What is Burmese tofu?
Burmese tofu is not made from soy like the tofu most of us are familiar with. It is made out of gram flour, which is a blend of ground chickpeas and split yellow peas. It’s cooked with water, a bit of salt and turmeric until very thick and paste-like, and then left to set.
Since we started making this tofu at home, it’s become a huge hit and we make it often. Here’s why we love it:
- It’s versatile and can be used in many dishes
- It’s cheap to make
- It’s quick with just 15 minutes of effort needed
- And it’s so simple - no fancy equipment required!
Unlike soy tofu, this chickpea flour tofu can be made with just one pan, a whisk and a container to pour it in to. There’s no blending, no straining, no pressing, and no waste!
It’s not coagulated like tofu made from soybeans, so it’s even simpler to make. And if you’re cooking for someone with an allergy to soy, it’s a great alternative to use in traditional tofu dishes.
Gram flour is also known as garbanzo bean flour, besan, or chickpea flour. It's made from ground chickpeas and split peas,, and commonly found it Indian and Asian cuisine. It's great for both vegan and gluten free cooking, as an alternative to eggs, or used in place of flour. We love to use it our Vegan Egg Fried Rice. To buy it look in the world food aisle at the supermarket, or try your local Indian or Asian foods shop.
Burmese cuisine
This type of tofu is a culinary staple of the Shan people. The Shan State in eastern Myanmar is bordered by China, Laos and Thailand and is sunny and temperate. So it’s the perfect area for growing many crops such as rice, tea, and mangoes. We’d love to go one day, but until then we will travel via our taste buds instead!
One fun thing about food in Myanmar is that it’s one of the few countries where tea leaves are actually eaten and not just drunk. A pickled tea leaf salad, laphet thoke, is their national delicacy. Another one of the most popular Burmese dishes is tohu nway, where this shan tofu is served still soft and warm.
How to make chickpea tofu
Step 1 - In a medium saucepan, whisk together the gram flour, salt and turmeric.
Step 2 - Add around 1 third of the water and whisk until you have a thick, lump free paste
Step 3 - Add the remaining water and whisk again until smooth
Step 4 - Heat the pan on medium heat and whisk often. At first it may be very foamy, but this will decrease as the mixture thickens.
Step 5 - At around 10 minutes the mixture should start to really thicken up. Whisk very well until you have a very smooth, thick mixture that clings to the whisk and holds it's shape.
Step 6 - Using a spatula, scrape out the mixture into a container, flatten off the top and leave to set.
Tips for getting the texture right
The first time I tried making this kind of tofu, it was a gooey mess. I didn’t cook it for long enough. The timing of when it reaches the optimum thickness can depend on how hot you cook it, and the power of your hob.
Here’s how to know when it has reached the right point to stop cooking:
- Whisking should become harder and more effort
- Instead of flowing in ribbons and easily running off the whisk the mixture should cling to the whisk
- When you stir, the trail made by the whisk should hold shape, not level off
- When pouring out the mixture, it should be so thick that you will need to use a spatula to scrape it out of the pan and level it off in the container.
Frying
The chickpea tofu can be eaten when it is set, without the need to cook it further. But frying it gives it a crispy crust and extra flavour. Traditionally it is often deep fried, but we like to shallow fry it to reduce the oil needed.
Our top tips for frying are:
- Use a really good non stick or seasoned pan
- Heat up the oil well before adding the tofu
- Don’t try and move the pieces around too much before they have formed a good crust. Trying to move or turn them too soon can result in the crispy layer separating from the piece.
Making the sauce
This zingy and gently spicy sauce will make a party in your mouth. It’s our favourite thing to drizzle over our homemade burmese tofu, and is inspired by Shan cuisine.
The sauce is very simple to make, just add all the ingredients together, give it a good stir, and let the flavours develop before serving.
Next chop and toast some peanuts in a pan, until light gold brown.
Serving
Serve the slices of fried tofu with a fresh green salad, and plenty of the yummy sauce on top!
You can also simply slice your burmese tofu and use it in salads, or serve with noodles. It’s also fantastic coated in batter and breadcrumbs, just follow the process in our Vegan Schnitzel recipe.
We hope you enjoy our easy chickpea tofu recipe! You might also like these other vegan recipes too.
Teriyaki Mushrooms (sticky, salty, sweet and simple to make)
And our Sticky Lemon Tofu (my favourite Chinese 'takeout' dish!)
Sophie & Paul
📖 Recipe
Burmese Tofu with Garlic, Ginger & Chilli Sauce
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 cup (120 g) gram flour (also known as besan or chickpea flour)
- 3 cups (720 ml) water
- 1 pinch turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
Sauce
- 4 tsp ginger grated
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
- 2 tbsp oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
Topping
- 4 tbsp peanuts chopped
Instructions
To make the tofu
- In a medium saucepan, mix the gram flour, salt and turmeric
- Add about a third of the water and mix together with a whisk until smooth with no lumps
- Stir in the remaining water and whisk until smooth again
- Heat the pan on medium heat, and whisk often. At first it may be very foamy, but this will decrease as the mixture thickens.
- Cook for around 10 minutes, until the mixture gets thicker and thicker. It's ready to take off the heat when it's so thick that it starts to cling to the whisk and there's a permanent thin film of batter at the bottom of the pan. See notes for more tips.
- Pour the mixture into a container (a cake pan, dish or tupperware will work) and spread it evenly. Do this quickly, before it cools down and firms up.
- Let the tofu set on a work surface for about an hour until firm and ready to cut
- Turn the container upside down onto a board, and you can slice or dice your tofu as required
Serving
- For the sauce: Press the garlic, chop the spring onion, grate the ginger, and mix them with all the other sauce ingredients: soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, oil and chilli flakes.
- Frying the tofu: In a very well heated frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil and fry the tofu slices on high heat for about 3-5 minutes on both sides, until golden brown and crisp. After turning over, add more oil if needed.
- Toasting peanuts: Coarsely chop the peanuts and briefly toast them in a frying pan on medium-high heat.
- Serving up: Serve the burmese tofu topped with a generous drizzle of sauce and sprinkle of toasted peanuts. Have salad or stir-fried greens on the side.
Notes
- Whisking should become harder and more effort
- Instead of flowing in ribbons and easily running off the whisk the mixture should cling to the whisk
- When you stir, the trail made by the whisk should hold shape, not level off
- When pouring out the mixture, it should be so thick that you will need to use a spatula to scrape it out of the pan and level it off in the container.
- Use a really good non stick or seasoned pan
- Heat up the oil well before adding the tofu
- Don’t try and move the pieces around too much before they have formed a good crust. Trying to move or turn them too soon can result in the crispy layer separating from the piece.
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Tahira Akhtar says
Hi would this work with soy flour or lentil flour to make it higher in protein? Thank you
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Tahira, I've not tested the recipe with types of flour other than gram or chickpea, so I'm not sure how it would work out. You may well need to adjust the water quantities and cook time, but if you give it a go let us know! Happy experimenting. Sophie 🙂
Hilary says
This Burmese tofu recipe is great. I’ve made this lots of times. Tonight I baked it after marinating with tamari and pepper and sprinkling with nutritional yeast, and served it with your sticky lemon sauce on rice. Very tasty.
Kim A. says
Great recipe! Have made twice for vegetarian friends and both times have been asked for the recipe. I put the Burmese tofu on top of a Burmese coleslaw of finely sliced cabbage, coriander and mint leaves mixed with a dressing of lime, tamarind juice, soy sauce, oil, and brown sugar. Thank you!
Sophie and Paul says
Thanks so much Kim. You always know it's a good one when friends ask for the recipe! That slaw sounds like a perfect accompaniment.
Jesse-Gabriel says
So lecker, vielen dank für das tolle Rezept!
Grüße sendet,
Jesse-Gabriel aus Berlin
oldmanmtn says
This a great idea. Thanks for posting.
I love Burmese cuisine and I have been there twice, but not to Shan region. I'm not big on tofu, maybe once a month. But this could change things. I haven't tried this yet, but it seems it might be more like a chickpea "polenta" rather than tofu... all good just the same and I'll find out for sure soon enough. Again, thanks.
Sophie and Paul says
Thanks! We really like it. It quite different from soy based tofu, and as you say a bit like a making polenta. If you ever had Panisse from the South of France it's quite similar! Enjoy 🙂
Elizabeth says
Hi. I just finished making Burmese tofu (I used only chick peas and ground them myself in a coffee grinder) and decided to make your chili-ginger topping. It was so good! I'll be using it as a higher protein snack between meals. Thanks very much!
Sophie and Paul says
Thank you Elizabeth! 🙂 and thumbs up for making your own chickpea flour! We think the chili ginger sauce brings so much flavour to the Burmese tofu. It's definitely intended to be eaten with some sort of sauce or other flavourful toppings. And we agree, its a great snack, hot or cold! Take care, Sophie & Paul
Kp says
You mentioned split pea flour-lush chick pea flour but don’t see split pea in recipe . Did you use both? Thanks for the note of until when to cook. I messed up in the past undercooking it.
Sophie and Paul says
Hey Kp, gram flour from the shops is often a mix of chickpea and split pea flour, but a lot of people call it just chickpea flour. We've successfully made Burmese Tofu just with only chickpea flour 🙂 Hope this helps!
marianne says
want to try this, but I'm only one person. have you tried freezing any? TIA
Sophie and Paul says
Hey Marianne, We've not tried freezing it. I'll give it a go next time I make it and will update the post. I did a quick bit of research and several others have had success freezing it, but say it does change the texture. It will keep in the fridge in a container for 3-4 days, just drain any excess water and pat dry before using. You could try cutting the recipe down in half, in that case the mixture will probably thicken up quicker, so keep an eye on it and check out our tips for getting the texture right. Cheers, Sophie
marianne charbonneau says
thx so much for the quick reply & tips! I'll try halving the recipe & if I have a piece left, I'll freeze it for an experiment.
Suzy says
This was so good and so easy! My chin dropped when it fell right out of the glass pan I let it cool in! I cut the recipe in half for the 2 of us and the amount was perfect. I sauteed some asparagus as the side. The tofu itself was (as tofu is) a tad bland, but the sauce zipped it up nicely. I'd love to have other recipes that uses this tofu! Thank you for a great dinner!
Sophie and Paul says
Thanks Suzy,
So glad it worked well and you liked it 🙂 Yes, it's all about the flavours you have it with. But try upping the salt a bit to your taste in the tofu, or add other spices than turmeric as well!
We've also had it seasoned and coated in crushed sunflower seeds, herbs and nutritional yeast, and baked in the oven for a nice herby crust. We don't have any quantities for that, as it was a quick improv, but worth a try 🙂 works well with green salad.
Cheers, Paul