Taho, a Philippine sweet tofu pudding
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Filed under Food trips & events; Non-recipes; Appetizers & snacks, Asian, Filipino delicacies, street food, travel
Probably derived from the Chinese tofu pudding known as dòuhua, taho is a hot sweet snack sold from aluminum vats by ambulant vendors in the Philippines. These vendors are a familiar sight on the streets, vats suspended from the two ends of a wooden yoke, and calling out in a sing-song tone, “Tahooooo… Tahooooo…”
Inside the vat at the front end of the yoke is the taho, a custard-like soft tofu. The vat at the rear end of the yoke is divided into two sections — one contains the soft and chewy tapioca balls (sago) and the other contains the dark brown syrup made by caramelizing palm sugar.
How the vendor prepares the snack is an art by itself. He starts by scooping the taho with a wide shallow spoon not unlike a spatula. He places the taho in plastic cups that he carries or cups provided by buyers if the taho vendor is selling in a residential neighborhood.
The vendor closes the front vat, shifts to the rear vat and opens it. With the use of a scoop with a long handle, he tops the taho with tapioca balls.
And, finally, he pours a couple of scoops of the liquefied palm sugar over the tapioca balls and taho.
Versions of this tofu pudding snack can be found all over Asia. The toppings and sweetener vary and, depending on the season, may be served hot or cold. See the Wikipedia article on dòuhua for more details.
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[...] drinks, nowhere to sit comfortably. Three quarters of an hour later, we were so hungry that when a taho vendor passed by, we were all over him. Perhaps it was just sheer hunger but that was the best [...]
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oh, taho! how i miss taho.
I’m 100% sure it’s derived from doufu fa. The difference with this one (taho) is the tapioca balls. The Chinese version doesn’t contain that. Either one looks delicious though!
I was lucky enough to eat in a resto (Glorietta) that offered taho for “dessert”… I know it was gluttony to order as I was already FULL (as in sasabog na) but since I was trying to eat everything I was “deprived” of for 3 years, I ordered anyway. It came in a huge container, I barely made a dent, but it was looovveeelllyy
I think I even took a photo of it & put on on facebook