More akin to polenta than tofu, Burmese tofu (to hpu or tohu) is a sturdy non-coagulated cousin of soya tofu that is made from gram or besan flour. This variation of traditional bean curd isn’t subject to the same fragility, with no need for pressing nor draining, and it’s not going to crumble when you so much as look in its general direction. Plus Burmese tohu is not only gluten free but also free from soy, and so you’re covered if you’ve got those allergies.
Recipe notes
If you’re anti lumps in any form (I’m not, and I don’t think you’ll notice anyway unless they’re Texas big), you can sift the flour. If you’re feeling particularly pedantic, you might even sieve the thick porridge while still warm.
But don’t. It’s a lot of unnecessary work and who has time for that?
To hpu is thinly sliced and transformed to to hpu gyaw in one simple step: deep frying (otherwise known as everybody’s favourite food group). Beyond that it’s all over the map in terms of use – use fresh or fried in salads, on noodles, or as a snack on its own with a dipping sauce.
Stay tuned for more recipes using this staple Burmese ingredient!
Shan Tohu
- Directions/Method
- Grease a small rectangular heat proof dish (mine is a deep 19cm stoneware dish).
- Whisk the flour, salt and turmeric together in a medium sized bowl. Add 300 millilitres of the water as well as the oil and whisk into a uniform slurry. Try to get as many lumps out as possible, but a few baby lumps are fine.
- Bring the remaining 400 millilitres of water to the boil in a medium saucepan and pour the flour slurry in, whisking the whole time. Continue to whisk for about 30 seconds before turning the heat down to medium low. At this point the mixture will thicken considerably and, unless you’re trying to build your arm muscles, you’ll want to switch to a wooden spoon for stirring.
- Keep at the stirring for between 5-7 minutes. The contents of the saucepan will have the consistency not dissimilar to cooked polenta and will develop a slight sheen. Pour into the greased pan and leave to cool for 1 hour before refrigerating.
- Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour before use, but overnight will yield the most firm texture.
Jess Fox says
18 July, 2014 at 4:55 pmOh, I like the sound of this! I need to experiment! Cheers Kip! 🙂 x
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
19 July, 2014 at 10:56 pmThis has been on my to cook list for about 5 years. Once I have finished all my outstanding commissions it is the first things I shall be making.
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
21 July, 2014 at 1:27 pmThis has been on my to cook list for about 5 years. Once I have finished all my outstanding commissions it is the first things I shall be making.
Jess Fox says
21 July, 2014 at 1:28 pmOh, I like the sound of this! I need to experiment! Cheers Kip! x
Laughfrodisiac says
27 July, 2014 at 1:18 amI can’t wait to make this! But first I want you to make it for me. Fiance bought this for me at the market in…Inle Lake? when we were in Burma but then we got sick before we could eat it. We actually left it in the fridge in that hotel room…I feel bad for whoever found it when we could finally leave 5 days later…
4aux4oodie says
2 September, 2014 at 5:52 amThis is one of the most exciting recipes I’ve seen in a long time. I’m trying this within the next week or so. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Kip says
2 September, 2014 at 1:06 pmThanks! Let me know how it works out and what you do with it.
John says
20 June, 2017 at 5:00 amI love this recipe! I have added a few more spices to add some more kick to it since I prefer things spicy but the overall consensus has been nothing but positive! My girlfriends mom is sensitive to soy and gluten so this is the perfect base for my tohu turkey during the holidays. Thank you for sharing such a great addition to any vegans homemade ingredient arsenal.
Kip says
20 June, 2017 at 10:33 amGlad you like it and thank you for the feedback!