Fool-proof Way to Make Your Own Burmese Chickpea Tofu at Home

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When I was eight in Burma, I was ridiculously, seriously, passionately into collecting fridge magnets with cartoon figures. I quietly store those magnets in metal pencil boxes in a little wooden drawer my mom gave me. Being an imaginative kid, I pretend that there is a ring of fire, an army of wizards and a big giant crab protecting my magnets. My brother tried to steal them? Oh please, he had no chance. But one day, I just woke up and decided that I didn’t like them anymore, and gave every single one away to my brother and my cousins. After I had given away, I felt no attachment whatsoever. Damn, my eight-year-old self was such a pro at letting stuffs go. There was no dilemma, no ambivalence. He knew he didn’t want them. He gave away -the end of story. He moved on to find the things he will like. He didn’t know what they are or how they will look like, but he was open-minded for possibilities. More importantly, that kid did not give a crap about what others people think.

As I get older, I start to lose that impulsive, imaginative and brave child inside me. I started to get afraid of letting go. What if I couldn’t find anyone better, or a job that pays more? I am comfortable in my little bubble. It is safe. It has my favorite comforter, Netflix subscription and a fridge with Bens and Jerry’s moose-track ice cream. Why would I want to leave it? Sometimes, I am at a point where I would rather be safely caged in routines, than released to roam free.  So, last week, when I turned 25 (cheaper car insurance, woohoo!), I decided that I want to bring back that slightly ADHD child back into my life. I want to once again explore without expectations, be awed by simple things, and be ok with getting hurt.

As a tribute to bring back my childhood, I am making my favorite snack as a kid – fried chickpea tofu. I was the kid who ate all his lunch as soon as he got school (no judgment here please. Many people do that ok?). So, during lunchtimes, I used my daily allowance on those fried chickpea tofu wedges. Back in the days, street vendors are not allowed to come into the school compound. But, Burmese people are innate lawyers – the solution was to sell snacks by the school fence so technically, they were never in the school property. I would just wait impatiently as my favorite tofu vendor with his sun-burnt skin, rough mustache, frying those triangles to golden perfection under the tropical summer heat. His dripping sweat kind of freaked me out, but he made the best fried tofu fritters, so I usually risked eating a droplet or so.  In life, no great pleasure comes without taking risks.

What I love about these chickpea tofu fritters is the harmony between the paper-thin crispiness that rivals San Francisco-style crepes, and a silky custard consistency of the inside. It is such a satisfying feeling when you bite into the flimsy yet crunchy outer shell, and immediately sink your teeth into the soft clouds beneath. It never failed to make me feel like I am successfully infiltrating a highly-guarded castle. Of course, resistance is futile. Moreover, the dipping sauce is a quintessential Southeast Asian all-purpose tamarind-chili sauce. Its spiky, punchy and all-around restorative qualities balance out the richness of the fritters.

These fritters make me feel naughty because the tofu tastes creamy, but I know they are just a bunch of water and chickpea flour. But then again, who cares? My eight-year-old self would not bother with these trivial matter.

Notes

This is a softer, more gelatinous version of Burmese tofu that is meant to be fried to golden and eat right away. If you are looking for a sturdier classic Burmese tofu to be used in salads, check out my previous post.

You have to use superfine chickpea (also called gram or besan flour) for the desired silky, smooth consistency. 

Fried Burmese Soft Chickpea Tofu

Servings: 1-2 (Makes eight triangles)

Ingredients

2.3 oz. (65 gram) of superfine chickpea flour

150 ml (1 cup plus 6 tablespoons) of water (first batch)

175 ml  (1 cup plus 7.5 tablespoons) of water (second batch)

1/8 teaspoon of mushroom powder (optional)

Pinch of salt

Pinch of turmeric

Oil for deep-frying

Instructions

Sieve the chickpea flour very well. You certainly don’t need a fancy strainer for this purpose. Just place the flour in any fine-meshed strainer.

Add the first batch of water slowly while stirring with a whisk. The batter will eventually turn into a very runny pancake batter. Let the batter rest for at least 1 hour, and at most 4 hours, at room temperature. This step makes sure the agitated proteins to settle down, giving you a much smoother final product.

When the batter gets its proper nap, heat up the second batch of water on a medium heat in a saucepan. When you start seeing water bubbles clinging at the bottom of the pan, pour in the prepared batter while stirring with a plastic spatula.

At this point, I advise you to not to step away from the pan even for a moment. The moment you stop, the proteins will curdle. Stir constantly and vigorously for about 8 minutes. Your batter will suddenly spring into life and start to thicken. You want to start bringing the thicken batter to a boil. Initially, you will see bubbles in the middle. Over time, if you keep staring over medium heat, the bubbles will appear at  by the wall of your sauce pan. Then, the batter is ready.

Pour it into a pre-greased 4x4 inch glass Tupperware.

Let the tofu set for at least one hour. If stars aligned, the tofu should just come out of the mold easily when you flip. The consistency of the tofu is supposed to be like a more fragile version of a jelly, so please do treat it compassionately like a newborn child. Cut the tofu into eight triangles.

For frying, it is useless to give you exact measurement of oil. What you want is about at least ¼ inch depth of oil in a frying pan. I used my cast-iron skillet, although I think, in retrospect, non-stick pan would have made the job easier.

Heat up the oil under medium high. Drop in the tofu squares. Fry until golden brown (about 2 minutes) on each side. Serve immediately.

A video posted by Soe H Thein (@limeandcilantro) on Aug 5, 2016 at 8:39pm PDT

Serving Suggestions

You can serve these fritters with a sauce as an appetizer or make them into a rice bowl for a more substantial meal. Possibilities are endless.

These crispy yet creamy tofu fritters, in my opinion, should only be served with a sauce that has both zing and depth. For me, that sauce has to be this tamarind-garlic-chili sauce.

Tamarind-Garlic Chili sauce

Serving: Makes about 6 tablespoons (enough to serve a batch of the tofu fritters).

Ingredients

2 teaspoons of tamarind concentrate

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

1 tablespoon of Sriracha

3 cloves of grated garlic

2 teaspoons of sugar

4 tablespoon of water

2 tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro leaves

Instructions

Mix everything together, and let it stand for 20 min for flavors to develop. Taste and adjust accordingly.

Chickpea Tofu Rice bowl

This rice bowl is all about taking control your own destiny- well, may be not as dramatic. Basically, adjust the taste according to your own preference. Here is a list of ingredients that I would put in to my bowl:

Fried chickpea tofu

Cooked white rice

Tasted chickpea flour

Dried shrimp powder

Blanched bean sprouts

Cilantro

Thinly sliced onions

Crispy shallots and garlic oil (Recipe here)

Chili-tamarind sauce

Fish sauce

Mix everything together. Wolf down immediately. Wash the dishes.

print recipe

Burmese fried chickpea tofu

by Soe Thein August-7-2016

What if I say, you can make your own soy-free tofu at home, and it tastes amazing?

Ingredients

• 2.3 oz. (65 grams) Chickpea flour (superfine)
• 150 ml (1 cup plus 6 tablespoons) Water (first batch)
• 175 ml  (1 cup plus 7.5 tablespoons) Water (second batch)
• 1/8 teaspoon Mushroom powder (optional)
• Pinch Salt
• Pinch Turmeric
• Appropriate amount Oil

Instructions

Sieve the chickpea flour very well. You certainly don’t need a fancy strainer for this purpose. Just place the flour in any fine-meshed strainer.Add the first batch of water slowly while stirring with a whisk. The batter will eventually turn into a very runny pancake batter. Let the batter rest for at least 1 hour, and at most 4 hours, at room temperature. This step makes sure the agitated proteins to settle down, giving you a much smoother final product.When the batter gets its proper nap, heat up the second batch of water on a medium heat in a saucepan. When you start seeing water bubbles clinging at the bottom of the pan, pour in the prepared batter while stirring with a plastic spatula. At this point, I advise you to not to step away from the pan even for a moment. The moment you stop, the proteins will curdle. Stir constantly and vigorously for about 8 minutes. Your batter will suddenly spring into life and start to thicken. You want to start bringing the thicken batter to a boil. Initially, you will see bubbles in the middle. Over time, if you keep staring over medium heat, the bubbles will appear at  by the wall of your sauce pan. Then, the batter is ready. Pour it into a pre-greased 4x4 inch glass Tupperware.Let the tofu set for at least one hour. If stars aligned, the tofu should just come out of the mold easily when you flip. The consistency of the tofu is supposed to be like a more fragile version of a jelly, so please do treat it compassionately like a newborn child. Cut the tofu into eight triangles.For frying, it is useless to give you exact measurement of oil. What you want is about at least ¼ inch depth of oil in a frying pan. I used my cast-iron skillet, although I think, in retrospect, non-stick pan would have made the job easier.Heat up the oil under medium high. Drop in the tofu squares. Fry until golden brown (about 2 minutes) on each side. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 2 hour 15 mins Total time: 2 hour 20 mins Yield: 6 fritters

If you like this post, also check out, Burmese chickpea tofu salad.

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