Burmese tofu is made from finely ground chana dal, otherwise known as gram or besan flour. While channa dal are technically chickpeas, they differ from those used in farina di ceci for farinata. You can read more about this and learn how to make the base ingredient for this dish on my recipe for Burmese tofu.
Burmese Tofu Salad (Tohu thoke - chickpea tofu salad)
This Burmese tofu salad combines fresh and fried chickpea tofu into a sour, salty, spicy salad. You can fry the tofu in advance and then fry it again for a couple of minutes prior to putting the salad together. The triangle shape for the fried pieces isn't necessary; cut them into whater shape you want. If you don't fancy deep frying, skip it. It's delicious whether there's a deep fried aspect or not.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2-4 tablespoons shallot oil or garlic oil See notes
- 2-3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce See notes
- 1 teaspoon toasted chili powder See notes
- ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional) See Notes
- 400 grams Burmese tofu See notes for recipe
- Oil for deep frying
- 3 tablespoons mixed chopped coriander and/or spring onion
- 1-2 tablespoons thinly sliced makrut lime leaf
- Fried garlic and/or fried shallots (optional) See notes
- Toasted ground peanuts optional
Instructions
- First make the dressing by pounding the salt and garlic with a pestle and mortar until it looks creamed. Add oil, vinegar, sesame seeds, soy sauce, toasted chili powder, and dark soy sauce. Whisk for a few seconds with a fork to combine.
- Cut half of the tofu into 1 centimetre thick (ish) triangles. Slice the other half into thin squares. The shape doesn’t actually matter, but the more surface area there is, the more room there is for the dressing to coat. With this in mind, try to avoid massive cubes.
- Heat two inches (5 cm) of vegetable or peanut oil in a wok or saucepan to medium high heat. The oil should have a temperature of around 185 degrees Celsius or (365 degrees fahrenheit), so if you have a thermometre then use it. If not, the oil is ready when you add a piece of tofu and it begins to sizzle almost immediately after you add it to the fat.
- Deep fry the tofu in batches, ensuring the pan is never overcrowded and the pieces have room to float freely without overlapping. Fry for about 5 minutes, until they are golden. You should see visibly crispy edges. Remove from the oil with a mesh skimmer and leave to drain on a plate lined with kitchen roll.
- Add the unfried tofu and dressing to a large bowl and stir gently to coat. Quickly toss the fried tofu through and top onto a plate to serve. Garnish with herbs, lime leaf, fried shallots, and peanuts, if using. Serve immediately.
Notes
Burmese tofu is easy to make. You can follow the recipe here.
You can easily make your own shallot oil or garlic oil and you will also be rewarded with Fried garlic and fried shallots.
For an understanding of the various soy sauces, please see my soy and seasoning sauce primer.
You can make your owned toasted chilli powder too.
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Angela says
This was so so good! I didn’t follow it all exactly, but it was still delicious and we all enjoyed it. Thank you!
Kip says
Glad you enjoyed it! And one of the lovely things about this style of salad is it's very DIY, so the recipe is kind of designed to be used as a template.
JP says
thank you!
I was very blessed to discover that there was an amazing Burmese restaurant very close to an apartment I lived in.
I loved visiting it and taking anyone who would go with me; none of whom regretted it, and most became repeat customers as well.
The menu was extensive, affordable and diverse. The Golden tofu salad was one of my absolute favorites! I think she said that her dressing was made with tamarind, she also added very finely shredded makrut lime leaves if she could get them which would determine whether or not I would order it. I believe it may have also had some shredded cabbage.
When I found the restaurant had recently closed a couple years ago I was so sad & upset. I've only ever found one other Burmese restaurant, but it wasn't nearly as good and the menu was quite limited.
I do occasional searches hoping to discover that she has opened another restaurant in the area...
Kip says
ahh it's such a bummer when a special restaurant goes out of business, especially when they're serving unique items that aren't easy to get elsewhere. Fingers crossed you'll come across somewhere as special as this again!
I reserve the right to improve malicious and trollish comments.