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Taho is a layered breakfast treat made of the softest tofu pudding, sago (tapioca pearls), and arnibal (brown sugar syrup). Warm, comforting, and sweet, this is a favorite among kids all over the Philippines for breakfast. This homemade taho recipe that uses premade soy milk provides you with two ways to make it using two popular tofu coagulants.
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From my research, the tofu that comes in taho is more traditionally similar to China's douhua (tofu pudding) than the silken tofu that you can find in most stores. Tofu pudding is even softer than silken tofu and breaks easily, so you have to gently scoop it to eat it.
Taho Background
The taho man is a ubiquitous figure in Filipino culture, who feeds all sleepy children with his expertly crafted taho to jolt them awake with a warm, sugary breakfast. The ingredients of streetside taho are split between two aluminum buckets suspended at the each end of a large wooden pole. The taho man carries the buckets by balancing the middle of the pole on his shoulder as he walks down the street yelling "Tahooooooo!"
If you grew up in the Philippines, once you heard this, you would run out of your house with a large plastic cup or bowl to meet the man waiting in the street to sell his freshly made taho. This would be at six or seven o'clock in the morning!
Ingredients For Taho
Most traditional taho recipes call for making large batches of soy milk. This homemade recipe makes a smaller amount and uses premade soy milk so you won't be making the taho from scratch. It's an easy recipe that takes a bit of effort so you can achieve the perfect tofu pudding consistency!
- Tapioca Pearls
- Brown Sugar
- Water
- Soy Milk
- Two Options for Coagulants
- Gypsum (calcium sulfate)
- GDL (glucono delta lactone)
Substitutes
- Soy milk and Coagulant: If you don't have soy milk or any of the coagulants to make the tofu pudding, then you can buy soft silken tofu at any asian grocery stores. The silken tofu is thicker and has more structure, but it will taste just as good!
Taho with Gypsum vs. GDL
The observations below come from my experience making taho with the two different coagulants. I made the tofu pudding at the same time so I could make real-time comparisons between these two popular coagulants. Honestly, I think your choice will come down to your texture, flavor, and visual preferences.
Taho with Gypsum
- Smooth
- Easy to carve with a spoon
- Has a more "mouth-feel"
- Has more of a soy milk taste
Taho with GDL
- Smooth
- Not as easy to carve (falls apart easily)
- Melts in your mouth
- Has a very milky, creamy taste
Recipe Tips
- Work Quickly: Have the soy milk steaming and hot when you mix the coagulant with water so that you can quickly mix it.
- Don't Fully Cover: When you let the soy milk mix rest to thicken, just place the cover on top loosely to let some of the heat out. I found that if you fully seal it, the heat will have nowhere to go and bubbles will form inside the tofu pudding.
How to Make Homemade Taho
Although this isn't exactly a taho recipe from scratch, I find that you still need to do a specific order of operations because of the waiting time for the tofu pudding to thicken:
- Mix GDL or Gypsum with water, pour into the bottom of a container
- Heat the soy milk until it bubbles, just at the edges
- Add the hot soy milk to the container, set it aside
- Boil water and brown sugar together
- Make the tapioca balls
- Assemble the taho
How to Serve
Taho is a layered drink and taho men who have been serving these for decades have perfected their techniques. The easiest way is to make two layers of tofu, sago, and a drizzle of brown sugar syrup. Serving taho warm after all the elements are freshly made is the best time to eat it too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, put the tofu pudding, brown sugar syrup, and tapioca pearls in separate containers with covers in the fridge. When you want to reheat them, layer the ingredients in a microwavable glass first, then heat in the microwave for thirty seconds.
Taho from scratch involves making your soy milk from soybeans and water. You can make your soy
milk with plenty of recipes available online!
Taho (2 Ways) - Tofu Pudding with Brown Sugar Syrup and Sago
Disclosure
The equipment and ingredients sections contain affiliate links to products I love to use as well as items that I personally believe make this recipe the best version of itself.
Equipment
Ingredients
Tofu Pudding
- 2 cups organic unsweetened soy milk
Tofu Pudding Thickener Option A
- ½ teaspoon Gypsum
- 2 tablespoon warm water
Tofu Pudding Thickener Option B
- ¾ teaspoon GDL (glucono delta lactone)
- 1 teaspoon warm water
Arnibal (Brown Sugar Syrup)
- 1¼ cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup water
Sago (Tapioca Balls)
- ⅓ cup small tapioca balls
- 4 cups water
Instructions
Make Tofu Pudding
- In a small bowl, add the warm water and thickener of your choice (GDL or Gypsum). Mix until the powder is completely dissolved (GDL will be clear, Gypsum will be opaque). Add to a heatproof container.Add the soy milk to a pot and heat until the edges begin to bubble and the soy milk is steaming. Remove from the stove and pour into the container with the thickener mix.
- Skim and remove the bubbles that form on top (doesn't have to be all of them). Cover loosely and let sit while you make the other components.
Make Arnibal (Brown Sugar Syrup)
- In a pot, add the brown sugar and water and stir with a whisk to dissolve the granules. Then place on medium heat to bring it to a low boil. Keep boiling until you notice that the bubbles are moving slowly. Turn off the heat and set it aside to cool.
Make Sago (Tapioca Balls)
- Add the water to a pot and bring it to a rolling boil. Then add the tapioca balls. Bring it back up to boiling for about 5 mins, then turn off the heat. Let it sit in the hot water for 10 mins.
- Drain then rinse with cold water and let it sit in a separate bowl. You'll see that there are whites in the center of the balls. This is what you should see because they are partially cooked.
- Add the same amount of water to the same pot and bring it to a boil again. Once boiling, add the tapioca balls back in. Boil for 5 mins, then turn off the heat and let it sit in the hot water for 10 mins.
- Drain the hot water from the tapioca balls, then rinse them with cold water and add to a bowl. You'll notice that the tapioca balls are now cooked through.
Assemble
- Take a flat-ish spoon, and wet the back of the spoon. Gently glide the spoon across the tofu pudding to get thin slices of tofu. Add it to the bottom of a cup. Then take some tapioca balls and gently add then on top of the tofu pudding. Add about 1 - 3 teaspoons of brown sugar syrup. Repeat this step for the second layer.
- Serve immediately and eat with a spoon.
Nutrition
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