Viet World Kitchen

Asian Tofu Sneak Peek: Sample Video and Recipes

Woohoo -- now I can finally share a bit of the Asian Tofu cookbook with you! I've been cooking from my one copy and petting its cover, which has spot-gloss text so that all the letters are slightly reflective and raised. (That's the book design geek in me.)

Asian Tofu releases next week on February 28. Preview copies have been going out to media folks. I've been waiting for the green light to show you the insides of the book. Yesterday, Ten Speed Press and Random House posted sample content for public perusal at their Recipe Club website. For your convenience, I'm reposting the information here.

First up is one of the videos from the Asian Tofu enhanced ebook. The clip offers tips for understanding different kinds of tofu textures, which can be tricky to figure out at the store. I cover the main types used in the book:

 

Video by Ten Speed Press and Jaded Palate Productions

Along with these kinds of instructional videos, we also embedded travelogue videos in the enhanced edition. Those are among the great add-ons that you can include in digital publications. 

Tofu Misozuke: Q & A with Dang Vu of Rau Om Foods

Tofu is an extremely versatile food that can be manipulated in countless ways. A few months ago, Dang Vu emailed me about an unusual tofu product that he his wife, Oanh, had developed. The Vietnamese-American couple was selling tofu misozuke at Bay Area farmer’s markets, packaged under their company name, Rau Om (the name of a citrusy cuminy fresh herb also called ngo om; see the Viet herb primer for more info).

I’d read about the Japanese preserved “tofu cheese” in Elizabeth Andoh’s Washoku cookbook and seen it in Tofu Hyaku Chin, a 1782 bestseller in Japan. Alas, I hadn’t tasted it yet. It the world of Asian tofu, tofu no miso-zuke (how Elizabeth spelled it) is somewhat esoteric stuff. That is, a Japanese market or restaurant isn’t likely to have it.

I tried Rau Om’s tofu misozuke and found its meaty creaminess to be pleasant. Then I wondered why and how someone was introducing this rare tofu product to the Bay Area market. So I asked Dang, 32, to tell me a bit more about their background and endeavor.

Asian Tofu Gets an “A” from SF Mag

The February issue of San Francisco magazine gave Asian Tofu a big, loveable hug with a terrific review by Emily Kaiser Thelin. If you read Food and Wine magazine, you may be familiar with Emily’s work. She was a food editor at the magazine from 2006 to 2010 and has since relocated to the Bay Area. Emily knows cookbooks and thoroughly evaluates them.

Truth be told, I started reading her review with a certain amount of trepidation. By the time I got to the end, I was relieved and delighted by the appraisal.

You'd have to have "Six Million Dollar Man" bionic eyes to read Emily's review in the image above. Here it is in a more convenient display:

Asian Tofu in Martha Stewart Living!

The February 2012 cover of Martha Stewart Living magazine says it all. I ♥ this issue. It just hit the newsstands and I’m in it. Seriously. Here’s the photo of executive food editor Lucinda Scala Quinn and me shopping at New May Wah market on Clement Street in San Francisco:

Look for the story on page 76 of the print edition, or in the table of contents in the digital version, which is what I decided to get for posterity. Lucinda and I were on the tofu trail.

Don’t know Lucinda? Along with her high level position at the magazine, she has a monthly column in Martha Stewart Living magazine and hosts the Hallmark Channel's Mad Hungry. She also wrote the show’s namesake cookbook and is working on a new book with her son. Lucinda focuses on the joys and challenges of cooking the daily family meal. She’s an ultra busy woman who champions taking time out to prepare food for people you love. It’s a major quality of life issue for her. 

Asian Tofu Update: First Review and Ebook News

Asian Tofu won't be released until February 28 but several weeks ago, Ten Speed Press sent a limited number of advance copies to media outlets. It's a bit like fishing as you never know what you'll catch.

hat said, I was very suprised (actually, relieved!) to read this January 2, 2012 review from Publisher's Weekly, a well-regarded industry organization:

The focus of this volume is specific but very deep. Nguyen (Into the Vietnamese Kitchen) knows her tofu, and she shares its history, a comprehensive guide to its variations, and a homemade tofu tutorial. And for cooks who don’t aspire to DIY bean curd, this single-subject book offers 75 surprisingly diverse recipes featuring tofu as a star ingredient. Flavor-packed entries include spiced tofu and vegetable fritters; soft tofu and seafood hot pot; tofu and vegetables in coconut milk; and spicy lemongrass tofu salad. Just because it’s all about tofu doesn’t mean it’s vegetarian; while there are certainly meatless and vegan options, the tofu steak burgers, for example, are topped with bacon. Tofu-centric desserts, such as cashew and cardamom fudge and tofu tiramisu are surprisingly tempting. Fans of Asian flavors who want to dig into a versatile ingredient will appreciate Nguyen’s thorough effort. 

Publisher's Weekly doesn't mess around. I hope this short-and-sweet review of Asian Tofu signals good things to come. It sure is a nice way to start off!

What am I doing now? We are putting together the enhanced e-version of the book. There will be about 15 extra pieces of content -- instructional videos, short movies, and slide shows.

Jaded Palate, a San Franciso-based production company founded by advertising veteran Faith Wheeler, is working with me and Ten Speed Press on the videos. Above is a photo of the video shoot in mid-December. We are reviewing and polishing rough cuts this week. 

Meanwhile, editor Melissa Moore, designer Betsy Stromberg and I are crafting the other digital components. We're tailoring the ecookbook to be as nifty as the bound book.

It's a little stressful now because all of the assets need to be sent to Random House's digital publication team very very soon. (I'm also working on two newspaper articles that are due next week.) But all is good and very exciting. 

For those of you who are in the Bay Area, we can talk tofu in March at Bookshop Santa Cruz and Omnivore Books for Cooks. I'll be in New York that month too. Thanks for your interest and support! 

P.S. I just posted an interesting Hunan recipe for pan-fried cucumber with tia to herb. A girl has to eat to keep up her stamina...