Tahoooooo!!! Tahoooooo!!! Tahoooooo!!!
These are some of the words that I long to hear from a man walking the streets outside my window carrying two stainless vats attached to a wooden rod everyday – the magtataho. And I’m sure you’ve already heard this battle cry too at least once in your life.
Photo Courtesy from http://angsarap.net
Taho, a Philippine snack food made of fresh soft/silken tofu or bean curd with sago (mini tapioca pearls) and sweet caramelized sugar syrup, is an iconic and ubiquitous street hawker food that remains popular to this day. This staple comfort food is a signature sweet and can be found all over the country. Its origins can be traced in Chinese influences, and has since become a mainstream favorite for generations. But catching a taho vendor on the road is a hit or miss thing.
Ever since my health conscious times (when I was still going to the gym) until now that I’m already on a Seefood diet (I eat what I see), taho had already been part of my daily carvings.
How to Make Taho?
Photo from http://noerism.tumblr.com/
Here’s an overview of the method of making a taho for taho lovers like me:
Melt palm sugar on medium heat in a small pot with a tiny drop of water. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Bring the coconut milk to the boil. If using canned coconut milk, if necessary water down with cows milk so it is consistency of pouring cream. Place the tofu on a plate then place into a steamer. Heat up tofu for a few minutes. Once the tofu is warm, remove from the steamer and serve into individual bowls. Top with coconut milk and melted palm sugar.
Taho Fun Facts
A Yummy and Healthy Morning Treat
Another interesting info that I’ve found that there may be more to taho than what we think. Below is an excerpt from a study from the University of the Philippines – Los Banos by a Pinoy scientist who recently returned home from his lab in the U.S. in order to extol the many joys that soy can bring, through its health benefits.
Alumni UP LB and current lead advisor for Soy Labs LLC in Missouri U.S.A., Dr. Alfredo Galvez recently gave a media talk about the Soy peptide called Lunasin, which is said to be key to having good heart health and other advantages. “In the 1990s, there were already several studies about how daily soy consumption reduced the risk of heart disease. Lunasin, which by the way, goes back to my Filipino roots, because the word Lunas means ‘solution’,” he says.
When from the right plants and properly processed, Lunasin can help head off heart disease by working in the liver to carry out cholesterol synthesis and produce less cholesterol, and increasing LDL receptors to help extract more cholesterol from the blood stream, and thereby prevent plaque buildup in the arteries. “Sometimes, even a healthy diet and exercise may not be enough to prevent cholesterol problems,” he cautions.
There are also ongoing studies on the effects of this soy protein in cancer prevention, wherein it can actually prevent the expression of genes that lead to the formation of tumors.
Amazing isn’t it? So what are you waiting for, join me in my quest for health, aim for that daily dose of taho, and together let’s shout – TAHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Photo from http://ah-tan.deviantart.com
The Adventures of AdventuRoj! 
Hey ya! It is highly recommended for our patients with dyslipidemia and heart diseases. Well well, this is a helpful discovery 🙂
Hey ya! It is highly recommended to our dyslipidemic patients Roj! A very helpful discovery in health care and research.
Oo nga eh. I hope more research will be done about this healthy treat, maybe even someday hospitals will consider adding it to their daily supply of meals to their patients. 🙂
that’s a good idea…indeed
<— Craving! 😀 It tastes good and it's good for you! win-win 😀
It’s about time someone wrote about taho. 🙂 Sadly, I don’t hear that “battlecry” in the morning anymore. Dunno where all the mangtataho have gone. I used to eat taho when I was a kid, but I’ve stopped since news reports that showed taho being made in unsanitary conditions.
Sad to hear that AJ. 😦 Instances like that can’t be avoided I guess. Sana lang yung taho dito sanitized (siguro naman kasi until now I’m still alive :)) Anyway, hopefully a battlecry will be heard in your area again – that which is surely sanitized na. 🙂
I miss taho so much ,the one being sold on the street .kakamis yung sago at arnibal na mainit init pa.
i love taho! but not too much arnibal please!! =D
same here.. I don’t like it too sweet. I prefer the soya part, I guess it’s the healthier part. hehe. Thanks Ian! 🙂
our family loves taho too. in fact we have this taho vendor 8 years ago who would still come to our house on weekends to deliver our dose of taho. And he still gives us his old price of P10 for a big bowl. sulit! 🙂
Sulit nga! Yung taho ba dyan may gatas? Different places have different ways of making taho kasi. Pansin ko lang. Wish ko nga matikman ang lahat ng taho sa ‘Pinas, that’s why in every place that I traveled I make sure to have one. hehe. BTW, I love your site’s name ‘itsberyllicious’ 🙂
I love taho! As in! Pero gusto ko mainit pa siya sobra
i love taho pero di masyado dumadaan ang nagbebenta dito sa amin.. hmm
Taho is one of my favorite food items to eat especially in the morning! 😀 When we hear manong magtataho, we’d usually run out the house holding big mugs.. haha.. XD Though I love the regular taho, I want to try other taho variants too, like the strawberry one in Baguio.. 😀
Hi Sumi!
Same here. The strawberry taho is also one of my must eats in the future.. Just knew about it last night after watching the GMA Travel Special. Let me know if you’ve tried it! Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
I miss taho. I rarely see mamang magtataho these days 😦
aw.. 😦 Would you like me to ask our mamang taho here to come at your place? 😉 just kidding.. thanks for dropping by!
i love taho. we grew up eating taho daily. it’s also a good thing our village allows magtataho to go around the village in the morning.
this is an informative post! i love taho but for awhile I couldn’t find any taho vendor around our village so i got into the frozen taho and love it too!!! knowing the health benefit is just bonus!!
You will end up diabetic with the load of syrup though
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I love taho too i use to eat every morning … 🙂
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