Warm Tofu, Tapioca, and Brown Sugar Syrup, with Toasted Soybean Powder

One early morning in Batangas when I was visiting the Philippines, I took a walk on a winding, jungly path, and from far away I could hear someone calling out, “Tah-HOHHHH! Tah-HOHHHH!” It was almost a song. Soon a man came in sight with a long bamboo stick over his shoulders, balanced by two wooden buckets. From one he took fresh warm, creamy tofu, scooping it into a little plastic cup. Then he popped open the lid of the other bucket and ladled out chewy sago (tapioca pearls) and arnibal (