Method
- Make the chickpea tofu (the same as Shan tofu): whisk chickpea flour with water until smooth. Add turmeric and salt. Cook in a heavy pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 6–8 minutes until the mixture thickens dramatically into a yellow paste.
- Pour into a greased rectangular dish. Smooth the surface. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
- Make fried garlic: heat 60ml oil in a small pan; add sliced garlic and stir for 4 minutes until uniformly pale gold. Lift onto a paper-lined plate. Reserve garlic-infused oil.
- Cut the chickpea tofu into 1cm cubes. Place in a wide bowl.
- Add lime juice, fish sauce, garlic-infused oil, chili oil, fried garlic, peanuts, sesame, spring onion, chilies and cilantro.
- Toss thoroughly. Serve immediately with shredded lettuce on the side. The Mandalay version uses double the lime and chili of the Shan version, producing a sharper, more chili-forward salad.
Common questions
Can Tohu Thoke be made ahead?
Tohu Thoke is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 240 minutes.
Is Tohu Thoke spicy?
Tohu Thoke as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Tohu Thoke vegetarian or gluten-free?
Tohu Thoke is suitable for vegetarian (and vegan if dairy is omitted) diets.
How hard is Tohu Thoke to make at home?
Tohu Thoke is approachable for a home cook with basic stove skills — total time about 270 minutes, no special technique required.
Can Tohu Thoke be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Tohu thoke is the Mandalay version of chickpea-flour tofu salad — the same base ingredient as Shan tofu thoke, but treated with more aggressive Mandalay seasoning. The chickpea tofu itself is identical; the salad treatment varies by region. Mandalay tea-shops (like Daw Lay May) serve tohu thoke as a tea-time snack alongside lahpet yay (Burmese tea). The dish is associated with vegetarian and vegan Burmese cooking, since the tofu is made from chickpeas without any animal products.
