This Can't Be Tofu!

April 17, 2000
Despite its exuberant hide-and-seek title, this cookbook features many more recipes using tofu alongside the Asian flavors with which it mixes so well (Napa Cabbage Leaves with Gingered tofu and Peanut Mince, Miso Soup with Silken tofu) than it does recipes that attempt to disguise the white menace (Curried "Chicken" Salad, Smoked Tofu with Barbecue Sauce). Madison, who succeeded at covering much ground in the hefty Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, proves equally adept at focusing on a single subject. Her introductory material clearly explains the difference between water-packed and silken tofu and their respective uses. She also dispels the myth that marinating tofu infuses it with flavor, noting that the marinade remains on the surface. Most recipes are vegetarian, although Madison also includes Poached Salmon and Potato Salad with Fresh Herb Sauce and other non-vegetarian dishes, incorporating tofu into "regular" meals that are sure to tempt the tofu-timid. A brief chapter on breakfast breakfasts offers Scrambled Eggs with Spicy Red "Sausage" in Tortillas and a tofu-egg combination called Migas. If all else fails, a chapter on desserts suggests a Peach-Almond Smoothie and an Iced Coffee Frappe, which should have tofu-phobes sipping completely unaware. This book sets a modest goal and fulfills it grandly.