tropit

After my last tofu posts, I realized that some people might be super sensitive to soy products, so I thought that I'd share a recipe for homemade, Burmese, chickpea tofu.

This is not my own recipe. I've borrowed it from the deliciouseveryday.com blog and adapted it to my own needs. I've made this several times and plan to make it again this AM. I love the taste and the color is absolutely beautiful. However, it is a bit softer and more delicate than regular, soy tofu, so keep that in mind if you decide to make it.

Ingredients

1 cup chickpea flour ( also known as garbanzo bean flour or besan flour)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground turmeric (optional, I always add it for that gorgeous color and extra nutrition.)
3 cups water divided
neutral flavored oil such as canola, sunflower

Instructions

Place the chickpea flour in a bowl along with the salt and turmeric (if using). Whisk to combine. Add 1 1/2 cups
of water and whisk until smooth.

Lightly oil 8"X8" square baking dish.

Bring the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the chickpea flour and water mixture. Whisk over t 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. (I let mine sit for a few hours.)

Cut into whatever size and shape you like. This will depend on how you are going to use it. Store in an airtight container and use within 3 days. I find that it's great cut up into cubes, seasoned with curry powder and put into a salad.

The WW SPs for this recipe, but is zero points. Nice!

~ C

pennycandy

I made this from cooked chickpeas. I could not find the flour locally and didn't want to have to pay for shipping. It didn't come out as smooth as it would have with the flour. I liked it but swore to not make again until I have the flour. The taste is so neutral that you could change the flavor according to the spices you add.

tropit

I've seen recipes for this using garbanzo beans, but I've never tried it. Mine comes out pretty smooth...almost jelly-like. I'm using Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour. I buy mine at our local co-op, but I've also seen it at Safeway. Look in the baking section.

I love to put other "flavors" in mine, especially curry powder. It comes out a pretty greenish-yellow and it tastes amazing. Hot paprika is also good for something more spicy. You could even go sweet with it...honey and cinnamon might be nice. I haven't tried that yet.

This is not a true tofu, since it is not fermented. It's more like a garbanzo bean polenta, or firm pudding. It only takes about 10 minutes to make and is a good, fast, fast fill-in for other proteins s/a soy tofu, meat, chicken, seitan, etc. It's really pretty in an Asian inspired salad.

~ C

pennycandy

You may only want to try with the beans if you have a powerful blender like a Vitamix or if you peel the beans before blending. There was a lot of waste with my blender.

When you live in a state with little cultural diversity finding ethnic products can be a challenge. I may have to go to a larger town to find the flour or order it online.

Thank you for the spice suggestions.

tropit

I do understand what you're saying. I once lived in a tiny town in Eastern Washington. They didn't even know what a taco was. However, we're lucky, because now, you can order just about everything online. There's a lot of great websites that sell nearly every type of food that you can think of. You might have to pay for shipping, but most of these "pantry staples" will last you a long time and make your life in the kitchen so much more interesting in the process. (IMHO)

~C