Behind the Scenes at the Best Little Tofu Factory in Chicago
Phoenix Bean Tofu has been perfecting their tofu recipes for over 36 years — here’s how they make soy beans taste so, so good
Andrea Nguyen said before writing her cookbook, “Asian Tofu: Discover the Best, Make Your Own, and Cook It at Home,” she was tired of “tofu-bashing” and “tofu-haters” in the United States and wanted to show people that tofu was more than just a “bland, white cake in water.”
While working on the cookbook, she found that part of why Americans and people in other western countries do not appreciate tofu is because it is usually not prepared in ways that allow it to shine as a unique ingredient.
“When I moved to Santa Cruz, California, we went to this vegetarian restaurant and the tofu was served under cheese sauce and it was the most disgusting thing,” said Nguyen, who has traveled through Asia to study tofu manufacturing and preparation. “The sauces were made to hide the tofu. The tofu was not allowed to express itself. In Asia, tofu is this beautiful thing, it’s the equivalent of fresh mozzarella or freshly made bread.” The softness, versatility and natural flavors of this food that has been prepared and enjoyed for approximately 2,000 years are not culinary weaknesses, but actually…
