From puto kutsinta, to biko, sapin-sapin to dila-dila, these are just some of the most popular Filipino rice cakes that made for delicious desserts & snacks. They are mostly sold as street foods by traveling vendors, or they can be made at the comfort of your home. These Filipino rice cakes serve each of their own distinctively delicious flavor. They are all made of sticky rice(kakanin), but what makes each unique to taste is how they are processed and obviously the kind of ingredient that is individually applied to each.
What makes sapin-sapin distinct from puto kutsinta is that coconut milk and condensed milk are added to the sticky rice flour, besides the sugar and some flavoring and coloring. For Puto kutsinta, it’s unique texture is due to tapioca flour and all purpose flour mixture. Kutsina is also better when finished with fresh coconut flakes, whereas, sapin-sapin is usually topped with latic(toasted desiccated coconut flakes). Sapin-sapin is also layered, and each layer is colored and flavored.
Biko is made from boiled sticky rice or kakanin, cooked in coconut milk, brown sugar, some anise and vanilla. It’s also topped with latik(toasted desiccated coconut flakes) or caramelized sugar. Dila-dila is also made from glutinous rice flour, brown sugar and sometimes shredded young coconut meat. They are either steamed or fried, then topped with toasted sesame seed, or shredded coconut flakes. Others coat it with caramelized brown sugar. Dila-dila is actually native to Bicol. It’s one of the many favorite Bicol miriendas and Ludwig is sharing his delicious, Filipino rice cakes recipes for everyone to try and enjoy!
Sapin-sapin Ingredients: yields up to 12 pieces
2 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour(galapong)
1 can(15 oz.) coconut milk
1 can (14 oz.) condensed milk
1 cup of brown sugar
2 drops ube flavor extract
2 drops Langka flavor extract
1/4 cup melted butter(optional)
Cooking Preparation:
- Combine glutinous rice flour, coconut milk and brown sugar altogether. Whisk thoroughly until they thicken and turn smooth.
- Divide the mixture into 3 parts, for the flavoring purposes. Apply ube flavor extract to one mixture, Langka(jackfruit) flavor extract to the second and leave the third mixture for the milk flavor.
- Use melted butter to grease a 13 1/2 x 17 7/8 large muffin pan(or use a non-stick large muffin pan) to use as sapin-sapin mold.
- Heat up the Carefully pour and steam each layer of Sapin-sapin mixture simultaneously on top of each other starting with the milk flavored mix, with the ube flavor on top.
- When done steaming, let it cool off, transfer each Sapin-sapin piece on a serving plate, top each with shredded coconut flakes prior to serving.
Note: Top each piece with latik(toasted desiccated coconut flakes), if desired.
Kutsinta Ingredients: yields up to 12 pieces
1 1/2 cups of glutinous rice flour(galapong)
1 1/2 cups of tapioca flour
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
3 cups of water
1 tbsp. powdered atsuete(annatto seeds)
1 tbsp. lye water
1/4 cup melted butter(optional)
Cooking Procedure:
- Combine glutinous rice flour, tapioca flour, brown sugar and water on a large mixing bowl. Whisk to thoroughly combine ingredients until they dissolve and smoothen.
- Apply atsuete(annatto seeds) powder and whisk to thoroughly combine. Follow it up with the lye water, then whisk to combine it with all ingredients.
- Use melted butter to grease up to 12 pieces of kutsinta mold. Gently pour kutsinta mixture on each mold. Allow about 1/3 inch of space above the mold.
- Organize each mold on a steamer basket, then steam it up to 45 minutes. Remove from the steamer when done. Leave it to cool off for 3-5 minutes. Top each puto kutsinta piece with freshly grated coconut flakes, prior to serving.
Biko Ingredients: yields up to 12 square pieces
2 cups of sticky rice(malagkit)
1 can(13.5 oz.) coconut milk
1 cup of water
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp of butter for greasing
Latik Ingredients:
1 small can(6 0z) coconut milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cooking Procedure:
- Wash and rinse malagkit(sticky rice) on a rice cooker to remove excess starch. Remove used water, then apply 3-4 cups of fresh one, or at about an inch level above the rice. Set aside when cooked.
- On a large cooking pan, pour coconut milk and water together. Add sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine, then bring it in to a boil, while stirring occasionally.
- When coconut milk mixture thickens or slightly drains. Pour sticky rice and mix well using a large spoon to combine evenly. Continue to stir while homemade Biko recipe is cooking, until all liquid drains up and Biko turns thicker and fluffier.
- Set up oven to broil at a high temperature. Transfer cooked Biko on a baking pan, spread it evenly then set aside.
- Using the same cooking pan, pour the last can of coconut milk for the liquid latik recipe. Apply 1/2 cup of brown sugar followed by vanilla extract.
- Bring the coconut latik mixture to a boil while constantly stirring, until latik thickens. Set aside.
- Bring back the Biko on a baking pan. When oven is ready, place biko on the top rack of the heated oven and broil it for 5-8 minutes.
- Remove Biko from the heat then top it with the liquid latik. Spread it evenly. Cool it off, apply latik and cut Biko into squares prior to serving.
Note: Biko can be eaten as breakfast, snack or dessert. To create latik(roasted desiccated coconut flakes), boil coconut cream, brown sugar and vanilla extract until mixture dries up, forming a curd.
Dila-Dila(tongue-shaped rice cake)Ingredients: yields up to 18 pieces
4 cups of glutinous rice flour(galapong)
2 cups of shredded buko(young coconut) meat
1 1/2 cups of coconut water(juice)
1/4 cup of white sugar for the caramelized topping
4 cups of coconut oil for frying
Cooking Preparation:
- On a large mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice flour(galapong) and shredded buko(young coconut) meat. Gradually our in the coconut water or juice, as you stir to mix ingredients together, thoroughly. Adjust juice mixture if needed.
- When mixture thickens, use your clean hands to continue mixing ingredients are thoroughly mashed, ensuring mixture is thick but fluffy which would allow you to form up to 18 pieces of round-shaped dila-dila mixture.
- Place each dila-dila piece on a large, flat plate. Leave it to form well for a few minutes prior to the next step.
- Using another large, flat plate, start flatting the round-shaped dila-dila mixture to form the tongue-shaped rice cake. Organized each on the plate.
- Heat up the coconut oil on a large, deep frying pan at medium-high temperature, until oil creates tiny bubbles. The bubbles will tell you it’s hot and ready for the dila-dila pieces to fry.
- Carefully submerge each dila-dila piece into the hot cooking oil. Allow at least 1/4 inch of space from each piece to avoid pieces to stick together.
- Fry the bottom surface of dila-dila until golden brown. Flip each down to allow the top surface to fry, also. Dila-dila pieces can quickly cook, so make sure to keep an eye on them to avoid over-cooking. Keep it slightly succulent.
- Repeat the same procedure to the other pieces until all are done. Set aside. Remove excess cooking oil from the pan for the caramelized topping. Leave a small portion of the oil on the pan and continue to heat it up.
- Once hot enough, start melting the sugar while constantly stirring it until sugar melts and start to caramelize. Spread enough amount of the caramel sauce on top of each dila-dila piece.
- Repeat procedure until all pieces are topped with the caramel sauce. Serve dila-dila, warm. Enjoy the yumminess!
Note: 4 pieces of each of these delicious Filipino rice cakes are portioned for sale, as shown in the picture. Ludwig owns a small store where he and his wife sell all the goodies they make.
Biniribid
Sapin-Sapin
