Viet World Kitchen

Piglet Cookbook Face-Off: Asian Tofu vs. Japanese Farm Food

Today, the Piglet cookbook tournament released Chef Wylie Dufresne's judgment of Asian Tofu versus Japanese Farm Food. A very accomplished chef known for his work in molecular gastronomy, Dufresne is a thoughtful person. At the outset he wrote, "I wondered if it was not imbalanced to compare the two."

Nancy Hachisu's book, which I cooked from earlier, is a unique survey of a cuisine whereas tofu is a single-subject book that spans the Pacific Ocean. One is relatively broad and the other hyper-specific. We're talking oranges vs. kumquats. 

Dufresne cooked a couple of recipes from each of our works and deemed it a stalemate. At the end of the day, it boiled down to pictures and presentation. Japanese Farm Food prevailed over Asian Tofu.

Am I sore? Not really. Dissappointed? Yes, but frankly, not by much. Dufresne's review, just like all the others, was subjective. (Ain't that most of life?) The face-offs are surprising and unusual, tough calls to make for each judge. It was nice to see three Asian cookbooks in the tournament this year.

The Piglet is a fun and great for focused discussion on cookbooks and home cooking. Now if Asian Tofu was reviewed against another tofu book, that would be a different situation . . . 

Seriously, the bottom line is this: There are tons of cookbooks published each year and to get into the ring with 16 of the best -- that's winning already. 

Do you agree or disagree with Dufresne's call? Read his review and vote! 

Related posts: 

• My thoughts on when Asian Tofu bested Jerusalem (the NY Yankees of cookbooks)
• Fried Ginger Chicken (Karaage) from Japanese Farm Food

Piglet Tournament Judgment: Asian Tofu vs. Jerusalem

Because I've chosen to champion yet-to-be-super-popular subjects, my writing career has been that of the underdog. That's why I was resigned to not winning round 1 of the Piglet cookbook tournament. From the get go, Food52.com readers had predicted that Jerusalem would win the entire competition. Yotam and Sami's book is wildly popular, beautiful, and engaging.

Asian Tofu is compelling in its own right, but it's also a misunderstood subject, not sexy on the first look to many Americans but rather challenging. As my friend Michael Ruhlman noted, it's an uphill battle with tofu, good luck. 

I told my dad that over the weekend. His response was, "Well, you never know." My father is a religious man who also loves his daughter for her persistence. Not too long ago, my mother described my work as being "noble." It's nice to be respected but great to pay the bills too!

Root for Asian Tofu in the Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks!

Now that Super Bowl’s over, how about cheering for cookbooks? Today is the start of a smart, fun cookbook tournament run by Food52.com, an award-winning site devoted to home cooking. On an annual basis, Food52 selects 16 of the best cookbooks from the past year and lets them face off in pairs in a contest called the Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks. Given the many cookbooks published yearly, I’m so proud that Asian Tofu made the cut to be a 2013 Piglet contender.

Each set of books is reviewed by a judge or group of judges who cook from the book and then report on their experience. Comments are released each weekday until there are only 2 cookbooks left. The final winner is announced at the Piglet party at the end of February. 

Tune in daily to get the latest Piglet judging but remember to WEIGH in too! Say yea or nay, thumbs up or down, agree or disagree with the judge. Have your say.

At the outset of the 2013 Piglet, where does Asian Tofu stand?

DIY Soy Milk and Tofu at Home eBook Release

It’s a new year and a new you. Time to make super tasty tofu! Why not? Freshly made tofu is like fresh cheese or bread. Exquisite.

There’s growing interest in DIY tofu and Ten Speed Press and I are responding. Today marks the release of Making Soy Milk and Tofu at Home – an eBook based on the Asian Tofu cookbook. Priced at $3.99 (about the cost of a decent cup of coffee), the eBooklet is a terrific option for people who want to master a range of DIY tofu. 

If you have the Asian Tofu cookbook, you’ll recognize the contents of the eBook. It’s the extensive “Homemade Tofu Tutorial” chapter presented in both regular and enhanced (videos included) formats. I worked on that section of the book for months, perused a Ph.D. dissertation, and traveled to Asia to get a few questions answered too.

Cooks and eaters familiar with Asian food have long appreciated the deliciousness and versatility of tofu, but most people in the West see it only as a vegetarian, vegan and hippie ingredient. Thankfully, the tide is changing as people travel and explore authentic Asian flavors. As chef David Kinch of renowned Manresa Restaurant noted in his review of the book, the homemade tutorial is high value content. 

Like with many foods, to truly understand tofu, you should make it yourself.  You'll cook it up better in the long run. It's fascinating and magical.

Matar Soy Paneer Recipe (Peas and Tofu in Spicy Sweet Sauce)

I love the classic northern Indian dish of peas and cheese but I seldom order it at a restaurant. I can’t eat a lot of fresh dairy and frankly, it is often lackluster, especially at inexpensive lunch buffets where there’s more sauce than sweet peas and rich fried cheese.

My solution is to make it at home with soy paneer (tofu). The little fried cubes of tofu soak up the spicy sweet sauce very well. This week, I discovered a frozen bag of San Marzano tomato puree from last summer and a partially used bag of frozen peas. Those finds made for the perfect excuse to prepare a batch of matar (mutter) soy paneer.

We had it for lunch with another frozen discovery – papery thin Middle Eastern flatbread. (Yes, I'm trying to clean out the freezer's 2012 inventory.) Wheat tortillas reheated over an open flame would have been my other choice; it’s a decent shortcut for chapati.