#140 Philippines' Taho

Ah, this breakfast food made with silken tofu, sago (tapioca) pearls and brown sugar vanilla syrup brings back many great memories of the happy life in the Philippines. Green grass, laughter, Roseville, busy streets, the sound of motorcycles, jeepney, the airplanes flying too close to our house. Warm nights. Warm sand. Warm water in the ocean. Sleeping with windows open at night, all year round. Coconut trees, balimbing, macopa. And Taho, sweet and filling.., and many more..sigh, only in the Philippines. Taho, is one inescapable breakfast food for Filipinos, and oh how Russell, my younger brothers and I loved it. My nurse friends Grace and Michelle did too, we used to meet up after school twice a week along Ilustre, steps away from Davao Doctors Hospital, where our favorite Taho place was. We ate Taho for late afternoon snack. :) How wholesome, innocent and simple life was! And then of course there's the weekend mornings, it is when I catch the hardworking Taho vendors  selling it in our neighborhood, they loudly yell "TA-HO!!!", yup! no horns, just their powerful deep voices in every 5 steps they make, "TA-HO, TA-HO MO DIHA!!!"..  on their shoulders rests a bamboo stick about 8 feet long, on each end of the stick,  their huge covered stainless steel buckets  hang, one filled with gallons of silken tofu, and the other with more gallons of arnibal (the vanilla & brown sugar syrup), and they carry this heavy load by walking for miles and miles hoping that by the end of the morning, all the patrons would have already bought all the contents of the heavy buckets on their shoulders, which thankfully, it is what happens 99% of the time.  Then they go back home to rest and make the silken tofu from scratch for the next morning. Thanks to them for supplying this treat to the communities. Who doesn't love Taho? I don't know of anyone! Certainly not me! We were among the loyal patrons, my brothers I believe still are. Back when I was living there, I bought it every time a vendor passes by our home because 1.) It is delicious 2.) I felt for the vendors. But I think it's also because their happiness and optimism in life were so infectious and by golly, such great social people they are too! 3.) I had no idea and definitely no interest in making it myself.

Life has changed in many ways. Gone is the simplicity, and now it's a constant chasing of goals, and life can be busy because in this day and age, the level of contentment for anything material and even the personal relationships we acquire and retain is kind of high, especially in this part of the world. I guess it comes with the territory, being young and full of life means being in a marathon that will only end in retirement. :)  And when I want to get away from it all for a few minutes,  I sit down and open my bucket of golden memories and what pure bliss it is every time. Taho brought me back to my center last week, I did not buy it ready made nor did a google search on where to find because, 1.) I wanted something delicious for breakfast 2.) I miss home, everything and every one in it, and I knew it would bring me joy 3.) I have every desire to make it myself now, because I learned how easy it is to make at home, thanks to my source.

Yield: 4 servings

TAHO

Ingredients:

To cook the sago pearls, you will need:

1/4 cup dark brown sugar
6 cups water
1/4 cup sago (tapioca) pearls

For arnibal,  the vanilla & brown sugar syrup, you will need:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup water

1 one-pound package organic silken tofu

Directions:

1. Put sugar and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add sago pearls and stir until water returns to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and continue cooking sago with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until they are almost translucent with a pinpoint of white in the center. Sago is cooked when it is tender but still chewy. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.Small sago pearls take about 20 to 30 minutes to cook while the bigger ones take much longer. In low heat, simmer big pearls with the lid on for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat and let them continue to cook in the saucepan for about an hour. If they are still not done, bring water to another boil, reduce heat, and simmer with the lid on for another 30 minutes. Repeat the process until they are almost translucent with a pinpoint of white in the center. Cooking sago in a rapid boil for a long time breaks them apart and makes them too soft and too mushy. Sago can be prepared ahead of time. Transfer drained cooked sago pearls to a container, add enough water to cover pearls, cover and refrigerate for up to a few days. Stir well and then drain before using. 
2.  To make arnibal, put sugar, vanilla, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. One part sugar to one part water. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir a minute or two, until the sugar dissolves. Take off heat and set aside.
3. Steam silken tofu in a steamer until heated through, about 15 minutes.
4. Divide tofu equally into four glasses or bowls. Add sago pearls and sweeten with arnibal. Mix together and serve warm.

Nostalgic. 

#139 Moroccan Rice

I love rice especially steamed white rice. Before I started this cooking blog, I ate it night and day all year, 365 days of white rice. Now I am more open to eating spiced rice, pasta, breads, other grains and  even go zero carbs for most meals, and I love it! This dish sparked my curiosity in mixing rice with  spices used in Moroccan cuisine because I made Moroccan beef stew that night and did not have the suggested accompaniment on hand, the couscous. So I quickly searched for Moroccan Rice or Bread. I always have rice, and bread takes a while to make, so of course making a delicious rice dish, flavored with fragrant ground spices was a better idea. Although it was very tempting to just plainly steam it, I'm glad I did not succumb to laziness because, this dish is very good! It actually reminds me of  the rice my late grandma use to make on special occasions back in the days, it was yellow and flavorful. A quick look at the bottle of ground turmeric showed a root that looked like ginger. I do not remember what they called the yellow rice dish and was not 100% sure what Ina (what I called my Grandma) and Babo (my other Grandma) used to make it, but after seeing that photograph on the ground turmeric bottle and tasting this dish,  I am pretty sure it was fresh turmeric. :) So we do grow turmeric in the Philippines! Good to know! It is what gave this dish it's nice yellow color. The taste overall is lovely, the raisins bring a pleasant sweetness to the dish, and thumbs-up to the flavor created by the lemon and spices combined. I also used sona masoori rice that I got from costco, which was not tasty when plainly steamed, but it was great for this dish, I read from several sources that it is better than Basmati rice for weight loss. This recipe also calls for almond and pine nuts which I omitted due to our allergies, but even without, it tasted great! When I served it, I forgot to add the cilantro leaves on top, it was tasty, but there was something missing..once I sprinkled  the magical tiny leaves and some of it's stems, what a world of difference it made.  This dish promises big on flavor, so easy to make, so delicious that I can eat by itself,  and yes, it did go well with the stew, it was a perfect marriage of flavors! I'm sure this would be an excellent accompaniment to grilled meats also. I am posting two ways to cook it, one on the stove top, which is how I made it, and one using the microwave oven adapted from this recipe.

Yield: 4 servings 

MOROCCAN RICE

Ingredients:

200 g basmati rice or sona masoori rice
500 -750 ml chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, halved and finely chopped
65 g slivered almonds
80 g pine nuts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch chili powder (to your taste)
65 g raisins
1 lemon, rind cut into very thin strips, juiced
1/3 cup loosely packed coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
salt  and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

(stove top)

1.  Rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear; drain.
2. Place rice in a pan.
3. Add enough stock until it covers the rice by 2cm, add oil.
4. Cover with a lid and boil, then simmer until rice is soft, adding more stock when needed. Rice must not dry up.
5. Once rice is almost done, add onion,  cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and chili powder
6. In a separate pan, heat a little bit of olive oil, add the almonds and pine nuts, add to the rice mixture, stir in lemon peel slices and raisins.
7. Lower the heat, stir the rice every minute until rice is done. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro sprinkled on top. Salt and pepper to taste.

(microwave oven)

1. Rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear; drain.
2. Place rice in a microwave-safe rice cooker or bowl.
3. Add enough stock until it covers the rice by 2cm.
4. Cover with a lid or a double layer of plastic wrap and Cook on High/800watts/100% for 5 minutes.
5. Cook on Medium/500watts/50% for a further 7 minutes.
6. Remove from microwave and set aside.
7. Meanwhile place oil, onion, almonds, pine nuts, raisins, lemon peel cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and chili powder in a microwave safe rice cooker or bowl.
8. Cook uncovered stirring every minute on High for 3 to 4 minutes or until the nuts are toasted and the mixture is fragrant. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro sprinkled on top. Salt and pepper to taste.

Yummy! What a great discovery!

#138 Moroccan Beef Stew

Fragrant, quick cooking, delicious. I love Moroccan cuisine and I get so excited and happy every time I make it. The cinnamon and lemon blended together with all  the other spices create a wonderful aroma that fills the house with so much yumminess. This dish does not take a long time to finish, but all the flavors are there, and so satisfying from the cooking to the last bite! :)

Yield: 6 servings

MOROCCAN BEEF STEW

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 3/4 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon lemon peel

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add beef to pan and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate.
2. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, carrot, and garlic to pan. Cook until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add spices; stir 1 minute. Add broth, olives, raisins, garbanzo beans, and cilantro; bring to boil. Simmer until juices thicken, about 5 minutes.
3. Add beef and any accumulated juices and lemon peel to pan. Stir to warm through and serve. 

Recipe adapted from here

 

We had leftovers, and it certainly tastes better after a day or two!