Cold Taho

Tahooooooo........tahoooooooo...... I used to hear the vendor - magtataho - announcing his presence along our street whenI was a child. I was very curious as to what he is selling. I stopped him once as he walks past our house and asked him what taho is. 

He opened 2 big tin cans that he carry along his shoulder with a bamboo stick. Inside the first can I saw brown liquids. This is the syrup he says. The other can contains white milky like gelatin. That is the taho he said. 

Taho is made from soybeans. The milk extracted from the soybean is then made into taho. Sugar is then caramelized and made into syrup. 

I was hesistant to try the vendor's taho. I did not find the taho that appetizing after all. 

My mom then decided to learn how to make taho. Since then, I have been eating taho and I found out that it taste really really good. 

My mom's variation of taho is cold taho. The traditional one is hot taho. Sago pearls are added as part of its topping or variation. Other toppings include, mango, jackfruit, monggo, strawbeery, macapuno, and beans. 

I prefer sago pearls. It is during the summer weathers that I crave for my mom's cold taho. It sure cools not only the taste buds but the hot weather.

Boiled Cardava with Guinamos

My latest food craze.... the boiled cardava with preserved fish. 

Cardava or saba is a banana variety that is rich in nutrients - potassium especially. They help the body’s circulatory system deliver oxygen to the brain. This also helps maintain a regular heartbeat and a proper balance of water in the body. Potassium is also helpful for reducing strokes and regulating blood pressure because of the way it promotes circulatory health. 

The cardava is cooked broiled. I prefer my cardava to be ripe. Not overly ripe, just ripe. 

Cardava is very abundant at the province and I really enjoyed having cardava as my snack or even as my main meal, especially dipping it into the salted preserved fish sauce. I prefer adding chili in my sauce. An inexpensive meal but surely satisfies a great deal!

Tofu

Tofu originated in ancient China. Tofu is a vegetarian food made from soybeans. 

Vegetarians use this as a substitute for meat in their diet. Tofu is rich in protein, low calorie count and high in iron. Tofu, in our local dialect is known as tokwa - derived from the Chinese word, tou-kan. 

Tofu is also known as bean curd - curdled product made from coagulating soymilk and pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. 

Different varieties of cooking tofu includes frying, broiling, steamed and simmered. My favorite variety of having tofu is deep fried and the variety - tokwa't baboy. 

With deep fried, tofu is fried and soysauce is used as dipping sauce. Other variation of dipping sauce may include wasabi. 

Tokwa't baboy - a very famous Filipino dish. This can be used as an appetizer or as a side dish. Deep fry the tofu. Prepare broiled pork meat. Best to include the mask (mascara) with the pork meat. Slice thinly the tofu and the mask. Incorporate in a plate. For the sauce, calamansi and soy sauce is best.