We’re entering the season when cookbook reviewers announce their
top picks of the year. T. Susan Chang, an author, writer, and commentator on
NPR kicked off her 2012 list of favorite recipes with one from Asian Tofu! Susan has cooked through
and championed the book in NPR’s summer cookbook picks as well as in a glowing Boston
Globe review.
As a professional reviewer, Susan sees a lot of books. She’s
persnickety and funny, as you may know if you’ve read her book, A
Spoonful of Promises. So when she zoomed in on the recipe for Korean
panfried tofu topped with a medley of Asian mushrooms, I was delighted. Okay, I was also relieved. Susan doesn't hold back when she dislikes something.
Pictured
above from a reference shot I took long ago, dubu jeon is a recipe that
wasn’t photographed for the book. That meant that Susan pored through my entire
book. Often times, people cook dishes that’s accompanied by a sexy beauty shot.
I’m old fashioned, and I suppose so is Susan. We grew up
with minimally photographed cookbooks. We paged through and perused,
letting our palates imagine flavors and textures. Nowadays, cookbooks are heavily photo driven so I'm doubly gratelful that she dug deep and deeper. (I love photos but include too many in a cookbook and you may take space away from good recipe instruction and/or drive up the cost of the book.)
When my publisher and I put Asian Tofu together, my aim was to cover the gamut, from DIY tofu
that took cooks from dried beans to curd to wonderful dishes that simply
required a trip to a supermarket. Cooks can plug in anywhere to experience
beancurd deliciousness. I’m happy that Susan has done just that and encourages
others to follow suit.
Since the beginning of September I’ve been in and out of
town for a total of 5 week. I just finished my last gig for 2012 and took this
week to pause and recover. Lots of good things are happening but I needed to
catch my breath. Whew. This was a nice way to finish the week.
Keep up with Susan's picks as she reveals them on her blog. It's bound to have delicious things you want to try. Plus, it's just good reading.
Martha Barrett says
Is there an ETA on android version of Asian Market Shopper?
Maggie says
Thanks, Andrea, that looks delicious. Mushrooms lend such interesting textures to any dish. I bet this would be great with some dried mushrooms, too. I'm always seduced by great food photography, and I would probably blog my own cooking adventures if only I had the photography skills!
Andrea Nguyen says
Martha, the Android version is not coming at all. Sorry. Thank you.
Andrea Nguyen says
It just takes practice, Maggie.
Maggie says
I tried making the Korean flavoured soy sauce - didn't have Korean red pepper (paprika?), so substituted a little smoked paprika and nora chili flakes. It was delicious, drizzled over chicken congee, very fragrant and interesting flavour combination. Thank you!
Victoria says
Great blog so interesting!
Ivy Manning says
A- This looks so much like a dish I flipped over this weekend! Spent 2 days in Seattle eating and by far the best meals was Joule, the best dish was her smoked tofu with mushrooms in a light soy vinaigrette that had a mere whiff of truffle. Thanks for reminding me to try my hand at smoked tofu...