My Taho Quick-Fix

Just like when I made my puto, I don't always try to make things from scratch. If there's a way to easily make them without making a two-hour trip to an Asian store, or without making a trip all the way back to the Philippines, I will try to find that way.

Well, this quick-fix taho was actually an idea from my good friend Ana.


My only problem is that I have not really learned how to cook sago the right way, without a hard uncooked middle, even for the larger ones. Can anyone teach me how???

I cooked the sago first (still unsuccessful to come up with fully cooked sago). Then I spooned out some tofu, placed in a small ramekin, added maple syrup and sago, then microwaved in increments of 30 seconds until I was satisfied with the hotness. Expect to see more water as you heat up. I just scooped out as much of this excess water as I could, just like the magtataho used to do when serving me taho (I was a loyal customer from childhood to adulthood).

{See down below for a procedure to cook sago from a reader}

UPDATE 2/22/09
I would like to post here what Ria (of Sweden) does for her taho fix. Maybe others can do the same:

hi manang! this ria, your reader from sweden. dito walang silken tofu, plus hubby and the children love it kaya ang ginagawa ko to have our taho fix is buy soya milk (no calcium) and add a little tofu coagulator (food grade gypsum) that i bought from an online wholistic store and some cassava starch. i love using dark muscovado for my arnibal and small tapioca pearls. for the small tapioca pearls, i cook them first and after the water boils, i let them sit for about 10 minutes with pot cover on (hindi sa stove top). after they sit i boil them again and let them sit again for 10 minutes....voila, they're done after that.

Thanks for the info, Ria!



UPDATE 8/02/09:
For those who might be interested in the procedure, I have these recipes below which I saved a long time ago from the DOST tecknotulong website (which now seems gone). I myself have never tried to make them, but I am posting here for the benefit of those who ask. Please do not ask me any further questions regarding these recipes because I would not know anything beyond posting them here.:

TAHO FROM SOYBEAN

Materials:
3 cups mature and newly harvested soybeans
2 bars white gulaman
3 cups brown sugar
strainer (muslin or nylon cloth)

Procedure:

1. Soak soybeans overnight in water 3 times its volume.

2. Remove outer covering, grind; add water little by little (at least 6 cups) while grinding.

3. Dissolve 2 bars gulaman in boiling water (7 cups).

4. Pour the ground soybean in boiling gulaman for 7 minutes or until the odor of grains is removed.

5. Set aside until it coagulates.

6. Serve with syrup.

Syrup is prepared as follows:

3 cups sugar is dissolved in 3 cups water. The sugar may be caramelized to improve color and flavor.

Source: The Philippine Recommends for Soybean PCARRD 1991


TAHO FROM COCONUT MILK

Instead of soybeans, coconut milk may be used with gulaman in making taho.

Procedure:

1. Mix pure coconut milk with equal volume of water and heat.

2. In a container, dissolve 1/4 gulaman bar in water, boil.

3. Strain the dissolved gulaman and coconut milk. Heat and stir continuously for at least 20 minutes.

4. Pour into molds and allow to cool and harden.

To make syrup:

Dissolve 2 cups brown sugar in one cup water. Heat until thick.

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HOW TO COOK SAGO:

Thanks to Kayenne's Kitchen for the procedure!

feel free to teach others. I first cooked sago when I was around 8 or 9 years old, I think - being a kitchen busybody and bored with plain flavored gulaman from the packets and sick of canned pineapple tidbits. The process was explained to me by an aunt and the house cook then.

You will need 2 pots with lids, one stove burner, a kitchen spoon and a strainer.

Fill one pot with water and set it to boil over medium heat. There should be enough water to more than fully thrice cover the sago pearls. Remember that the sago will expand as it cooks.

When the water is boiling, add the sago pearls and give it a good stir to ensure that the sago does not stick together. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat, cover and steep until the water cools to just very warm. (on hot days, this can take up to 30 minutes.)

Pour hot sago over the strainer to the 2nd pot, saving the cooking water. Set the second pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Rinse the sago in the strainer quickly until just cool, breaking up clumps, drain.

When the water boils in the 2nd pot, return the sago to the boiling pot and boil again for 10 minutes. Repeat process for up to 3 times, depending on the size of the sago.

Rinse for the final time when the sago is cooked through. Add more water to the cooking liquid when necessary.


*Steeping allows you to save on gas/electricity vs continuous boiling. Rinsing the sago is to wash off excess starch. This prevents the sago from sticking together and keeps the outside from overcooking, giving you a sticky mess.

I usually make a lot, since it is a time-consuming process and can be frozen(do not overcooked, if you will freeze it - just thaw and give it a hot water rinse. I haven't cooked sago for a long time now, but I think, if you want to make a sweeter sago, you can add sugar on the last boiling/steeping process. Don't add sugar too early, it will keep the sago from cooking well.