It took more than a month after I started going vegan before I began craving for something sweet again. Filipino sweet treats in particular. Then it occurred to me that I can have my favorite ginataan, a filipino snack of “sweet soup” made of root crops, plantain and coconut milk.
From there followed the sago gulaman (tapioca pearls and gelatin) drink, the gulaman/dofu of the the previous entry, sticky rice and of course, taho (bean curd syrup with tapioca balls). How could I have forgotten taho?
Taho wasn’t as big in the Visayas, where my hometown was, as it was in Manila. I first heard of taho in the tagalog movie and when I first tasted it I didn’t get what the fuss was all about. Plus there was this constant rumors that taho vendors would mix plaster of paris on this drink to get the ingredients cheaper thus make more profit. Somehow that nagging suspicion always put a damper of my enjoyment of taho. Still as time passed by I looked forward to the call of “Tahoooooo!” from the vendor passing our house. Like my mom, I would order a tall glass and put it in the fridge before eating it.
I eventually would like to make tofu from scratch as was posted by Manang Kusinera but the silken soft Tofu still delivered for me. Since we don’t have sugar in the house, like my sago gulaman drink I used maple syrup for mine (about 2 tbsps) mixed with 3/4 cup of water. I also followed this recipe of adding a little bit of sugar (maple syrup for me) in the Panlasang Pinoy site. To make a soft tapioca I soaked it overnight and cooked it for 40 minutes and let it cool in the water to room temperature.
There is a debate about whether sugar is vegan or not. My reason for avoiding is mostly because I am convinced, as from my experience, that it is addictive. I use brown rice syrup and maple syrup (as recommended by macrobiotic diet). Still I try not to use too much of it which is really not that hard because the aforementioned substitutes I am using are a bit expensive (the maple syrup jug is $18) unlike the refined sugar which comes to little more than a dollar a box. Hoping these syrups will last a loooong time.
i haven’t had maple syrup in a looong time beca. of the price. i have a brown rice syrup in the fridge and I”m hesitant to use it. I want it to last. I treat it like gold. Mahal kasi.
I am not a taho eater too. My sister called and told me how to make it by using tofu but I am not really that interested. When I read about taho with added plaster of paris, I am glad that I did not eat it that much in the Phil.
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i always love taho!
Loraine, hahaha pareho tayo when it comes to syrup. But I found out since I minimized eating non-vegan sweets my tastebuds aren’t used to too much sweetness now kaya konting konti na rin nilalagay ko.
Hindi naman confirmed yang plaster of paris rumor, pero kadiri pa rin isipin (per kain pa rin ako hahaha).
Bing, it was an acquired for me but it’s definitely one of my favorite snacks nowadays.
hello, where can i buy brown rice syrup in manila? i want to make my own energy gel, and i want the glycemic index of brown rice syrup
thanks,
d0ink
Hello doink, wish I can help you but I am not based in Manila.
Hello po sa inyo. Hindi po totoo un sabi-sabi na may plaster of paris un taho kasi very delicate po ang pag-gawa ng tofu ng taho. On the contrary, konting dumi lang ang mahalo sa tofu magbibiyak-biyak na sya kaagad. Tsaka kung may plaster of paris un, magiging iba ang texture ng taho. Magiging coarse/mabuhangin siya as opposed to being silken. ^^
Dette, what you said makes sense. So glad to know that!
gelatin is not vegan though right?
Veganda, you are right, gelatin is not vegan. I meant agar-agar (or gulaman in filipino) which is very much like gelatin but made from seaweeds. I posted about that in this entry: http://www.thoughtsontransitions.com/2010/04/getting-reacquainted-with-agar-agar/