Asian Tofu: Discover the Best, Make Your Own, and Cook It at Home by Andrea Nguyen

  • Master soy milk recipe (page 23)

    from Asian Tofu: Discover the Best, Make Your Own, and Cook It at Home Asian Tofu by Andrea Nguyen

    • Categories: How to...; Asian; Vegan; Vegetarian
    • Ingredients: dried soybeans
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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Master soy milk recipe

    • Ganga108 on August 17, 2025

      Lol, I tried to make rich soy milk following this very hands-on, messy, process-heavy approach as I wanted to make their silken tofu. It was a massive fail. The rich soy milk is so thick it would not strain through the muslin cloth, not even if I pressed it or wrung it to force the milk through. I ended up salvaging what I could of the whole messy lot and adding more water before I strained through a different cloth. Even then, the milk was squirting in all directions when I rung it to extract the milk. I had to change my top as I had soy milk all over it. I ended with a couple of cups or so of milk, which I will try to coagulate for a different tofu style. I am half disappointed and half laughing at the hilarious antics trying to extract the milk from the thick thick product.

  • Silken tofu

    • Rinshin on April 11, 2014

      I made two styles of silken tofu. One using this book which uses food-grade gypsum and my standby one which uses nigari. This recipe worked out fine without a hitch and tasted ok when warm, but once it started to cool off the taste and texture had funny chalky taste I did not like. I still prefer making all tofu using nigari. Side by side, I really felt the nigari one tasted much better warm and chilled. Hard to define umami, but when you taste these side by side, nigari coagulant tofu had umami.

  • Tofu pudding

    • Ganga108 on August 17, 2025

      Instead of making the silken tofu as planned (see my comments on the Master soy milk recipe), I made tofu pudding with the thinned milk from that experience. Because of the soy milk experience I wasn't expecting anything, but the pudding set! All being well, I plan to make Savory tofu pudding (P59) with it, topped with green onions, roasted soy beans and some fermented mustard greens that I have.

  • Block tofu

    • Beckiemas on July 12, 2015

      This is a great tofu recipe/method. Very detailed and clear instructions, and so far we've had a 100% success rate. This follows from the 'master soy milk' recipe - you make the milk, then turn to the tofu page to continue the process. Aside from soaking the beans overnight-ish, this all takes just a couple of hours.

    • patioweather on April 09, 2018

      It was a perfect success on the first try, and all other tries since.

  • Savory tofu pudding (Dou hua)

    • Ganga108 on August 17, 2025

      Tofu pudding is pretty flavourless on its own, but with the sauce and toppings it is a triumph. Although it wasn't my intention to make this today, but it is a very happy outcome to a soy milk process that didn't go the way I intended. Very happy to make this.

  • Miso-glazed broiled tofu (Tofu dengaku)

    • debnharold on September 15, 2012

      this recipe has an amazing gingery miso sauce toward the end of it - good on anything

  • Deep-fried tofu (Agedashi dofu)

    • IvyManning on January 02, 2013

      A bit time-consuming (you have to brine the tofu to season it, then press it to remove liquid, then dredge it, then fry it), but that's the nature of the beast. You have to be careful to not over-cook the tofu, or it will be tough, the recipe wasn't adamant about that and maybe should have been. The sauce is thicker than you get in restaurants, for good reason. The slightly thicker sauce here doesn't make soggy tofu.

  • Tofu, tomato, and dill soup (Canh dau phu)

    • Astrid5555 on March 27, 2013

      Simple, yet very tasty. Substituted cilantro for dill as suggested. Will make again!

  • Stir-fried tofu, shrimp, and peas (Xia ren dou fu)

    • westminstr on March 26, 2014

      This dish packs a surprising amount of flavor given the ingredient list. The shrimp stock is key. Also, use a softer-textured tofu for best results. I liked this dish but the rest of the family was lukewarm, so I probably will not repeat.

    • lilham on January 06, 2018

      This was a surprisingly flavoursome dish. Most shrimps from supermarkets in the UK are sold without shells. Therefore I skipped the shrimp stock and used chicken stock instead. Everyone including the kids loved it. (The kids liked frozen peas and shrimps so I knew they would most likely eat this).

    • Ledlund on October 19, 2018

      This is far more interesting than it reads. We loved it and will riff on it regularly.

    • kari500 on August 11, 2024

      Thanks to previous posters for commenting on this. I would have passed it right by. But they are right - it is more than the sum of its parts. Like lilham I only had peeled shrimp, so I got some clam juice and added that instead. Tofu-averse husband went back for seconds.

  • Panfried tofu with mushroom and spicy sesame sauce (Dubu jeon)

    • westminstr on March 26, 2014

      A solid dish, the sauteed mushrooms were particularly delicious. Made the sauce mostly ahead to streamline weeknight prep. Used aleppo pepper for the kids and aleppo + cayenne for the adults.

    • Delys77 on April 18, 2018

      We were not a big fan of this one. The sauce is not bad but perhaps a touch too salty, which I am sure is to offset the simple flavour of the tofu and mushroom. Overall for me the dish was lacking in balance.

    • chawkins on November 22, 2019

      This was okay. Very simple preparation. Only soy sauce I have are Chinese, so that is what I used and I let the sauce sat for about an hour for the flavor to meld. I may substitute beef for the mushrooms next time, since my husband has an aversion to mushrooms.

  • Bitter melon with tofu and pork (Goya champuru)

    • radishseed on October 19, 2013

      I appreciate the tips in this recipe for alleviating the bitterness of the bitter melon. I made it vegetarian by using Gimme Lean sausage instead of ground pork. Ate it with rice, miso soup, and zucchini pickles.

  • Simmered greens with fried tofu (Saag soy paneer)

    • britt on June 22, 2013

      This was good! I used kale and relatively less spinach because I wanted to use up greens I had. It still turned out great. I do think it would be that much better with the greens mixture called for.

    • hyperbowler on February 07, 2017

      I added some lemon juice to echo the slight sourness of a paneer version of the dish

    • TrishaCP on November 20, 2019

      We really liked this dish. The instructions were very clear and there were no extraneous steps here. I used two unseeded serrano chiles but would consider adding another chile next time around. I do love my paneer but good to have a different kind of saag paneer in the repertoire.

  • Tofu chicken meatballs in lemongrass broth (Qe nqaij qaib xyaw taum paj)

    • annmartina on March 07, 2018

      Added some bean thread noodles. This soup is delicious

  • Tofu noodle and vegetable salad

    • Astrid5555 on March 29, 2013

      This was my first try a tofu noodles. Apart from the pungent fishy smell when opening the package this was a pleasant surprise. The package instructions tell you how to get rid of the original smell and then you have a low-calorie pasta-like salad, which comes together very quickly and is ideal for lunch. Used toasted sesame oil for additional flavor and added lots of cilantro.

  • Spicy yuba ribbons

    • Ganga108 on August 09, 2025

      Yay, I made this recipe this morning with the dried bean curd skins that I purchased yesterday. It is delicious! The skins are rehydrated then pan-fried with Asian seasonings. I use Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli oil (of course :) Addictive and a great side dish, or a meal with some greens.

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Reviews about this book

  • Food52 by Wylie Dufresne

    The 2013 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks vs. Nancy Singleton Hachisu's Japanese Farm Food

    Full review

  • Food52 by Marco Canora

    The 2013 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks winner vs. Yotam Ottolenghi's Jerusalem

    Full review

  • Huffington Post

    Nguyen presents tofu recipes through a dazzling array of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and other cuisines that are approachable and easy for the home cook.

    Full review

  • Boston Globe by T. Susan Chang

    ...welcome to the world of bean curd, ever so much more savory and varied than you thought.

    Full review

  • Lisa Is Cooking

    Obviously, it’s not necessary to make your own tofu for the recipes in the book, but the instructions are there if you want to experiment.

    Full review

  • Oregonian

    The book includes a detailed history of tofu's evolution in Eastern cuisine, including detailed explanations of how it's used in the diets of countless Asian Buddhists.

    Full review

  • NPR by T. Susan Chang

    If you're the kind of person who has only one, or two, or three ways to prepare tofu - or is just plain mystified by the whole world of bean curd - Asian Tofu is a godsend

    Full review

  • Serious Eats

    Beginning with recipes for making your own tofu at home, Nguyen acts as a guide through the world of tofu enjoyment, a world that goes way beyond tofu's health food store staple reputation.

    Full review

  • Huffington Post Canada

    ...make no mistake; this book isn't strictly for the hardcore vegan or even a vegetarian audience. Rather, it's an informative read on everything you want to know about tofu...

    Full review

Reviews about Recipes in this Book

  • ISBN 10 1607740257
  • ISBN 13 9781607740254
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Feb 28 2012
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 240
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Ten Speed Press

Publishers Text

From sleek, silken tofu with delicate toppings to piping-hot fried satchels in a robust sauce, tofu provides a versatile canvas for the intricate flavors and textures that Asian and vegetarian cooks have long enjoyed. America has embraced tofu as a healthy, affordable ingredient. And while it has been welcomed into sophisticated mainstream dining, tofu is often hidden in Western guises and in limited applications. In her third intrepid cookbook, celebrated food writer and teacher ANDREA NGUYEN aims to elevate this time-honored staple to a new place of prominence on every table.

Asian Tofu’s nearly 100 recipes explore authentic,ancient fare and modern twists that capture the culinary spirit of East, Southeast, and South Asia. There are spectacular favorites from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and India, as well as delicious dishes from Taipei, San Francisco, Santa Monica, and New York. Andrea demystifies tofu and interprets traditional Asian cuisine for cooks, sharing compelling personal stories and dispatches from some of the world’s best tofu artisans along the way.

For those who want to take their skills to the next level, the tofu tutorial clearly outlines tofu-making technique, encouraging readers to experiment with the unparalleled flavors of homemade varieties. But time-pressed cooks needn’t fear: while a few recipes, such as Silken Tofu and Seasoned Soy Milk Hot Pot, are truly best with homemade tofu, most are terrific with store-bought products. Some traditional dishes combine tofu with meat in brilliant partnerships, such as Spicy Tofu with Beef and Sichuan Peppercorn and Tofu with Kimchi and Pork Belly, but this collection is predominantly vegetarian and vegan, including the pristinely flavored Spiced Tofu and Coconut in Banana Leaf and vibrant Spicy Lemongrass Tofu Salad. And innovations such as Okara Doughnuts reveal tofu’s more playful side.

For health- and eco-conscious eaters and home chefs who are inspired to make the journey from bean to curd, Asian Tofu is the perfect guide.

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