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!
So it was my great surprise to read Chef Marco Canora's Piglet review today at Food52. Many people view his decision as a tournament upset. There was disagreement with his final call. "Foul!", wrote one reader.
Maybe Asian Tofu is not just the underdog but the dark horse? Read Marco's Piglet judgment of Asian Tofu vs. Jerusalem and dive into the fray!
P.S. If you're into cookbooks, the reviews on the Piglet are fabulous, covering the importance of design, recipe collection/curation, and testing. Some are damn funny too.
More on what people think of tofu:
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
Congratulations! Though I have yet to see the tofu cookbook I have read Asian Dumplings and I love how thorough you are. I also love Jerusalem and have no problem with the recipes but I totally concur with Canora. It all depends what criteria one uses to judge with and in this case you are the winner! Well, you are really both winners because you both have over the top cookbooks. But today I will raise an extra high salute to you Andrea! And I think it is OK to toot your own horn. Your father must be proud.
Andrea Nguyen says
Thank you Abbe! What nice comments to receive. You made my day. Plus, my dad reads this blog too. :))
Bil says
Wow! Congratualtions Andrea. I admire the respect you show for ingredients, people, and their culture in your writing. Like the reviewer, I appreciate the clarity of your recipes. I must say I'm a little shocked that the reviewer can't find dried shrimp and sumac in Manhattan though, one more reason it makes me glad to be Canadian 🙂 Keep up the good work.
terri says
congratulations! the hard work and care you put into your cookbooks was clearly evident to the judge. i'm glad to see your work get the recognition it deserves. although i'm a fan of both you and ottolenghi, i'm more likely to make your recipes on a regular basis. in fact, whenever i make your silken tofu for a potluck, people almost fight to get to it before it quickly disappears. 🙂
Laura says
Hi Andrea,
You know how I feel about your Asian Tofu cookbook already! It should win the entire competition because your cookbook is so well-researched, well-tested, and full of your excellent descriptions and explanations as well as beautiful photos. Your wonderful memories and stories are such an important part of all of your cookbooks, the intangible, that just wins me over. The recipes are all delicious and strong enough to convert non-tofu eaters! Good luck!
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