Book Tour Schedule + Tofu Extravaganza
How to use tofu to its fullest potential + 3 new tofu recipes + MSG poll results
I’m embarrassed to have an abundance of riches to share with you today. My book tour will kick off soon on Tuesday, April 25 — release day! I’ll be doing a San Francisco launch event at Omnivore Books, one of my favorite bookstores. It’s relatively close to home, which means I’ll bring a homemade nibble to offer folks!
Because some of the events are not yet open for ticketing and registration, I made this digital flyer and posted all related links on the Book Tour Events page at my website. 👈 click there or on the book tour flyer below 👇👇
Pre-Order bonus update: Whether you order the book from a bookshop (or retailer like Amazon), or if you purchase a ticket to an event that includes the book you’re eligible for the bonuses of content and Zoom cooking class!
Book tours involve partnering and collaborating with small businesses or non-profit organizations. This time around, the Vietnamese community is strongly coming out to support the book and my work. I’m incredibly touched because I’ve mostly operated alone in my niche, trying and hoping to push the envelope on Asian food and culture. Nowadays, many Asian Pacific Americans are amplifying one another’s voices. I’m so happy to be part of the mix!
April Events and Media Spotlights
Maybe I’ll see you this month on Zoom or in San Francisco or DC? For your convenience, April events include:
You don’t have to be Asian or Vietnamese to participate in any tour event. As the NYC 3 Ladies events flyer encourages — join us for culture and community!
Ever-Green Vietnamese was also featured in major articles in Sunset magazine and Edible Monterey Bay. Just today, this arrived online:
“Though I was admittedly skeptical about the deluxe vegan pho, it proved to be one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time.”
— Genevieve Yam, Bon Appetit Best 2023 cookbooks
Living Your Best Tofu Life
Enough about me. What about you and little bean curd?
For months, I’ve been working on a tofu feature for the New York Times. I was tasked with making a primer that presents tofu in its common, basic block form but also nudges readers and cooks to make the most of the wide world of tofu. There are so many kinds of tofu. Author and chef Hanna Che, who I interviewed for the article, said that tofu can be its own food category. I wholehearted agree.
Many people get concerned about dealing with the water issue in tofu so I selected three recipes that don’t require draining or pressing tofu. You’ll use fermented tofu for a creamy lemongrass-y dip with crudites, a recipe in Ever-Green Vietnamese, pressed tofu sheets for a northeastern tofu salad, and silken tofu for a shortcut take on tofu pudding and ginger syrup.
So you avoid the paywall, I’m sharing my gift links for the story and the three recipes I tested for the article:
There’s So Much to Love About Tofu (main story, with a nifty overview, cooking tips and sourcing tips)
Furthermore, here are brands I prefer for white fermented tofu (sold at East Asian markets) and pressed tofu sheets (sold mostly at Chinese markets, Havista is well distributed). Jenny Yang in Chicago, makes tofu noodles at Phoenix Bean so I’d use those for the salad, if I lived in Chicagoland!
When I first talked to my editor about the tofu story, I suggested that the paper do a companion piece on tofu for health. Many people question if tofu is bad for you. I didn’t think anyone would listen but happily, the Well section of NYT published a story by Alice Callahan, titled “Is Tofu Good for You?”. (Yes, that’s another gift link from me.)
MSG Poll Result
Thanks to those who took the tofu poll. You’re into using and exploring it. There were questions in comments on how to use it. I’ll think about MSG for a future discussion.
You’ll hear from me again on Sunday with the last installment of the Vietnamese Garlic Noodles trilogy.