Looking for a soy free tofu? This vegan Burmese Chickpea Tofu (also called shan tofu) is an easy homemade tofu recipe to make which is a healthy and delicious source of protein.
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As a known tofu hating vegetarian you might be scratching your head wondering why I'm sharing a tofu recipe with you today.
I even wrote an entire vegan cookbook without using tofu one... single... time.
Well, you see, this Burmese Chickpea Tofu recipe I'm about to share isn't really tofu.
Tofu is made from bean curd, however, Burmese tofu is made from beautiful nutty chickpea flour. Also called chickpea tofu or shan tofu, it is more similar to polenta than tofu, as I'll explain.
As a lover of chickpeas and chickpea flour I couldn't wait to give chickpea tofu a try after reading about it on Sarah Brinson's wonderful blog.
However, while Sarah's recipe is totally doable, I'm too impatient to leave the chickpea flour soaking for 12 hours and wait another 8 hours before eating it.
So I came across another recipe for Burmese tofu, which didn't require soaking and a long wait. I halved it and set about giving it a go.
If you've made polenta before, then the process is not too dissimilar.
Chickpea flour is whisked together with water and salt and added to a saucepan of boiling water and whisked until thick and glossy. Then it is poured into a pan to set.
The tofu sets in about an hour and is soft and pillowy, with that slightly nutty chickpea flavour that I love.
The wonderful thing about this chickpea tofu recipe, apart from the fact that it's a wonderful soy free alternative to tofu, is that it is also budget friendly too.
Chickpea flour is relatively cheap especially if you are able to source it from an Indian grocer. (Or you can grab this one on Amazon!)
It is also extremely versatile too. Add it to salads, stir fries, soups. This soba mis soup is a great way to use chickpea tofu!
Anywhere you'd normally use tofu, you can use chickpea tofu instead.
I'm a little addicted to it at the moment, I've made 3 batches in the last 4 days, and have been having fun experimenting with it in the kitchen.
So tell me, have you ever tried chickpea tofu?
More Recipes
And if you love this Burmese Chickpea Tofu, be sure to try these other delicious ideas:
For more easy vegan cooking ideas, be sure to grab my free 5-day vegetarian meal plan. It's loaded with my favorite plant-based recipes, cheat sheets, and more.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpea flour, garbanzo bean flour / besan flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric, optional
- 3 cups water, divided
- neutral flavoured oil such as canola, sunfower (safflower)
Instructions
- Place the chickpea flour in a bowl along with the salt and turmeric (if using). Whisk to combine. Add 1 ½ cups of water and whisk until smooth.
- Lightly oil 20cm (8 inch) x 20cm (8 inch) square baking dish or cake tin.
- Bring the remaining 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the chickpea flour and water mixture. Whisk over the heat until the mixture becomes really thick and glossy. This should take about 8 minutes.
- Pour immediately into the prepared baking dish and leave to cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour. The longer it sits, the more water will drain out of the tofu and the firmer it will get.
- Cut into whatever size and shape you like. This will depend on how you are going to use it. I cut it into 2 to 3 cm cubes. Store in an airtight container and use within 3 days. Some commenters have had success freezing it, but it is not something I have tried myself.
Notes
Nutrition (estimated per serving)
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Lisette says
Ive just made it, and it is setting. I threw onion rings in the pan, to clean up the dregs 🙂 I mixed mine in the pan as well, to save a bowl.Im thinking of making some kind of curry laksa with the last remnants 🙂 in the pan. Waste not, want not, .and learn something new 🙂
Mel says
Made this recipe twice just added some garlic powder to the mix and it came out perfect both times! Thank you.
Cerys says
I was just wondering what type of tofu this is similar to(?) Could it be used as a substitute to extra firm tofu? I love red lentil tofu for a softer variety but am looking for an extra firm substitute to the regular soy version!
Super appreciate your help 🙂
Jen says
Made this the other day and have eaten al of it! Quite good as an egg scramble as mine was very soft. Then put it with sesame oil onions garlic celery Braggs and bokchoy with a corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce. That was fantastic. We eat meat which but I like options and this one is fantastic.
Tricia says
Wow! I cannot believe there is such an easy substitute for tofu! It is delicious! We made a wonderful tofu scramble (full of garden veggies) and had our very first (after 10 years vegan) "eggless" salad sandwiches with what we didn't use in the scramble. My husband and I are thrilled! So happy we found you, Nicole! You can count us as your newest fans!
Jessica says
Made this for the first time (been meaning to for a long time) and it's surprisingly delicious just plain! But I am going to sautee it up with seasonings. Can't wait. For me, the thick glossy texture happened in almost 2 to 3 minutes, I kept going for 2 more minutes to make sure it didn't have a raw chickpea taste but it only took me no more than 5 minutes. Thanks so much!