Girls Like Flours: Besan Tofu
I am a big believer in the “brown bag lunch” for work days. It saves money, and I always know something I like will be available. I have gotten into the habit of batch cooking enough for the week on Sunday afternoon. My usual formula is: grain + legume + roasted veggies. By selecting in-season vegetables I can keep my grocery bill within reason and have a nutritionally complete meal. By varying the grain and legume choice, I keep things interesting.
I recently became aware of a legume option I had not heard of before- besan tofu, also called Burmese tofu. Instead of soy it is made with chickpea flour. I’ve been keeping chickpea flour on hand since I discovered the delicacy farinata. I was excited to find another use for it. The ingredients are chickpea flour and water (in a 1:3 ratio) and whatever seasonings your heart desires. Watch this.
Set 1 1/2 cups of water to boil in a pan that seems too big. Trust me, you will want the extra space. Mix another 1 1/2 cups of water with one cup of fine chickpea flour. This is a good time to add seasonings. I kept it simple this week with just a dash of fish sauce. Feel free to experiment with whatever flavors you like. When the water in the pot boils add the flour/water/seasoning slurry and bring it back to the boil.
This is where the big pot becomes important. Stir, stir, stir, stir, stir the mixture for 8-12 minutes as it bubbles an sputters and floops big puffs of steam at you. A larger pan helps prevent the splatters from landing on your hand. Just trust me on this.
After 8-10 minutes of cooking and stirring the mixture should look smooth and glossy. Pour it into a dish. I find this loaf pan is just the right size. Let it cool and solidify. I roasted some zucchini and mushrooms, and also cooked some quinoa while mine cooled.
Here is the finished product, all prepped and ready for work tomorrow.
I will never deny that one of my motivations for keeping a DIYet is saving money. Buying ingredients is almost always less expensive than buying pre-packaged meals. Even when the energy cost of preparing food is factored in, DIY meals are still the better bargain in my experience. I have access to a refrigerator and microwave at my job, so there is really no reason not to prep and pack my lunch. The more variety I can add to my lunches the less I will be tempted to buy a meal. I think besan tofu is a great addition to my lunch preparation repertoire. What are some of your go-to lunch items? How do you add variety to your DIYet? Share in the comments.
