Taho recipe

Taho Recipeis a Filipino street food made with fresh or silken/extra soft tofu, sago pearls (tapioca pearls), and arnibal (brown sugar caramel). This signature, sweet, comfort dish is commonly sold by taho peddlers and you will find vendors all over the Philippines.

You will often see magtatahos (taho peddlers) carrying two large aluminum buckets balanced on bamboo poles fixed on their shoulders. You will hear them calling the name of this recipe from far away as they walk along the streets, yelling “Taaa-hooooo!” to attract customers. When people hear their call, people would rush to buy their product.

Most magtatahos follow a habitual route very early every morning. Some magtatahos also peddle in the late afternoon, even in the evening. Many vendors have many suki customers or people who buy taho on schedule. Kids excitedly wait for the magtataho and eating taho is part of the daily habit of many Filipino children.

It is often served warm in a plastic cup with a spoon or straw. Suki customers often have their own cups, paying for the amount of taho that their cups can hold.

The traditional Taho recipe requires quite an effort to make. The taho peddlers will have to wake up very early to prepare separate ingredients. They will start by curdling the soybean mixture with sea salt to create a soft fresh tofu. While the tofu curdles are developing, they will cook the tapioca pearls and make the arnibal.

It is originally a street food, but with its rise in fame and popularity, you can now purchase this snack in malls. It’s a great source of protein, as well as calcium, iron, and minerals, including selenium, and manganese.

If you are craving for this recipe, don’t worry. It won’t be as laborious as the once made by the magtatahos. You don’t have to make fresh tofu from scratch. You can use extra soft or silken tofu. You will still have to cook tapioca pearls and make the arnibal though, but the whole process will be a fraction when compared to the traditional method, which includes soaking the soybeans in water overnight before blending them to make fresh soymilk and then curdling it to make tofu.

Homemade Taho recipe version is easy enough to follow. Just steam for about 15 minutes or until heated through. Divide the tofu between serving bowls, add cooked sago pearls and sweeten with the arnibal. Mix and enjoy!

Taho Recipe

This is the best and easiest way of making this Filipino street food specially if you are overseas and you badly miss home.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 liter soy milk

• 4 tbsp gelatin powder

• 1 cup tapioca pearls

• 1 cup brown sugar

• water

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat the soy milk in a pot 5 - 10 minutes, stir to avoid burning

• Dilute the gelatine powder in 3 tbsp of water

• Mix the diluted gelatine powder into the soy milk

• Strain and remove the bubbles and set aside

• Boil the tapioca pearls for 15 - 20 minutes, strain and set aside

• Boil 2 cups of water for 10 minutes

• Add in the brown sugar

• Serve with the syrup and top with the tapioca pearls

Xoxo

Gil