Viet World Kitchen

Pretty Good Number One Winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered in the Pretty Good Number One ebook giveaway. As usual, I enjoyed reading your comments as they help me figure out what we can cook and discuss here at VWK.

The people who won were: Jorgebob28, Jill, and BK. Congratulations!

If you're curious about Japanese food and appreciate an honest, funny approach to travel writing, get a copy of Matthew Amster-Burton's book. As an ebook priced at $4.99, it's an extra good deal. The digital format means that you can easily take it anywhere with you, maybe even Tokyo!

Tokyo Travel Tips & Pretty Good Number One eBook Giveaway

Soon after Asian Tofu was released last year, Matthew Amster-Burton tweeted that he’d used the book to make fresh yuba tofu skin. He went a couple of rounds with it and then told me that the DIY yuba experience was good preparation for his trip to Japan. I was both flattered and surprised because there are so many wonderful things to eat in Japan and Matthew, a talented writer based in Seattle, was extra keen on tofu.

As it turned out, Matthew had a purpose. He and his wife, Laurie, and eight-year-old daughter, Iris, spent a month in Tokyo last summer. They rented a one-room apartment about the size of a single-car garage and ventured out on daily eating adventures.

Matthew recounted their experiences in his new book, Pretty Good Number One, a fast-paced, rollicking work that’s chock full of delicious humor and insights. Reading the ebook at bedtime was my way of reliving and deepening my understanding of Tokyo. I’d gone there in 2010 to research tofu and a number of the places I visited and food people I know are part of Matthew’s book. I was honored to be the lead on his tofu chapter.

Matthew’s vivid and spot-on description of Tokyo led me to spend a few hours reviewing photos from my Tokyo trip. They’re part of the collages on this post. The book was such a terrific read that I had to ask Matthew a few questions about his work and of course, what to do and where to eat in Tokyo.

Whet your appetite below and then enter the giveaway. There are three (3) copies of the book available!

Asian Tofu Makes IACP Cookbook Award Finals

Great news everyone! The Asian Tofu cookbook is a contender for an award by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). I was in New York for the Piglet cookbook tournament party when the list of finalists was released. Crazy, eh? Asian Tofu is like the little bean curd that could...

In the world of cookbook writing and publishing, getting the nod from IACP is a great honor. The cookbook committee members are my peers who cook from the books as part of the judging process. This year there were over 400 books submitted for the awards.

I have had the priviledge and honor of being nominated for all the books that I have written. This time, the nomination means alot because Asian Tofu represents a global effort by many people who joined me to tell tofu's remarkable story. Team Tofu (see the book's "Acknowledgments" section or the listing at the bottom of this page) put a lot of heart into the cookbook.

Asian Tofu is in the "Single Subject" category. The other cookbooks nominated in that same category are written by friends of mine, Diane Morgan and Martha Holmberg. Their works on root vegetables and sauce making along with mine prove that cooks want to hunker down, be hyper-focused, geek out on food.

The entire list of finalists is here; you'll see a nice showing of Asian cookbooks. IACP will announce the winners on April 9 at an awards ceremony in San Francisco. It's one of the high points of the annual IACP conference, which I'm attending to teach a tofu class and moderate a panel on influential women who've paved the path for Chinese food in America.

Sorry to make this post short. After New York, I flew to visit my parents; my dad was hospitalized recently for a potential heart attack. He's at home and recovering well. We're still not sure what the situation was and is so he's monitoring his condition.

3/6/13 follow-up: On the heels of the IACP announcement, the Splendid Table (National Public Radio) rebroadcasted an interview that I did with Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Listen to the fun conversation here.

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.