6 Pinoys bring homegrown comfort food 'taho' to Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A group of six enterprising Filipinos has brought the homegrown comfort food taho to the city, their own little way of promoting Pinoy culture through this soft tofu in caramelized brown sugar topped with pearls that has become part of people’s lives back home. Locals and expats of other nationalities here are enjoying it with gusto, too.

“We wanted to promote the Filipino food and we think our taho is the best way to represent it because it has been a part of our culture. It is healthy, and most of us grew up with it,” said 36-year-old Irish Perez of Cavite City.

Perez said they underwent a number of experiments before arriving at the authentic taho just like the ones sold in the streets of Manila by men carrying them in large aluminum containers tied to a bending, wooden rod that hangs on their shoulders. 

She said it took them two months to perfect the recipe.

“Nag-interview kami ng magta-taho and did research to make sure we are following the same process tulad ng sa Pinas. Kung papano po ginagawa ni mamang magta-taho yung taho, ganuon po namin ginagawa. 

“Although mahaba yung time needed to prepare the original taho, we stick to it dahil gusto namin ihatid ang original na taho sa ating mga kabayan. From the soya beans itself and yung ibang ingredients namin, we tested different brands and  techniques to get the same taste ng taho sa Pilipinas,” Perez said. 

(We interviewed taho vendors and did research to make sure we are following the same process as is being done in the Philippines. We are doing it exactly the way they are doing it back home. Although it takes time to prepare the original taho, we stick to it because we want to bring the original taho to our fellow Filipinos. From the soya bean itself and the other ingredients, we tested different brands and techniques to get the same taste of the taho in the Philippines.)

She said coming up with the real thing was among their important goals when they were brainstorming about their taho. “Our target was to make it possible for our fellow Pinoys to enjoy the taho they grew up with even when they’re away from home,” she said.

Aside from Pinoys, Perez said people of other nationalities have also been enjoying their taho.  “Indians, Vietnamese, Singaporeans, Chinese and Emiratis –  usually, half-Filipino and half-Emirati,” she said. 

There had actually been many attempts to introduce taho into the Dubai market, where stalls were placed in hypermarts selling it in cups. But most just came and went mainly because the taho was usually mere microwaved regular tofu. 

“Maybe that’s what makes us different from those who had opened taho stores before. We have a purpose and a mission when we started. It’s not only about selling taho but actually about promoting our culture,” said Perez, who also runs her own consultancy services for legal administration and services.

Shelf life of the taho is five to six hours; two days if chilled. It also tends to lose firmness. These are seen as among reasons why previous taho sellers in the city had resorted to microwaving regular tofu instead.

“We always do fresh taho to avoid spoilage.  Sometimes we also see our taho losing its firmness but we made sure we address the issue,” Perez said.

Meantime, among those with Team Taho is Janer Lopez, head chef who used to work as chef at high-end restaurants across Dubai; and Francis Limbas, head of operations who used to be manager at a high-end cafe. Both have quit their jobs to start the taho business, which was launched on Sept. 4, 2023 as a cloud kitchen operation in Al Quoz. 

The cloud kitchen is doing well, said Perez. “We are supplying two grocery stores. We are in talks (with business owners) to supply three branches of an establishment. Also, we have lots of loyal customers who order every week or every other week. We are selling average 100-150 cups per day.” 

Team Taho’s operation has now expanded to a new location also in Al Quoz. It has a dining section rolling out other Filipino comfort foods like the fried isaw (chicken intestine), kwek-kwek (hard-boiled egg, battered and deep fried), and Pinoy Dynamite, a variation of the lumpia (spring rolls) that makes use of stuffed, long green chilis.

Perez said their branding and marketing strategies revolved around the goal to have Filipinos enjoy taho the way they did back home. She said the success of their business may also be attributed to social media marketing.

“Social media is our go-to for marketing. But aside from that, we promote it within the networks. We are fortunate that our customers continuously post their experiences about our taho. Their recommendations online make our marketing efforts a success,” she said. —KBK, GMA Integrated News