Let's talk about Filipino Native food --- Food that is not readily available when you live outside the Philippines. Ingredients can be a challenge to obtain but if you are near an asian store, then you are closer to tasting heaven.
Today's blog is all about native Filipino food cravings and how I conquered and satisfied my palate. I spent my spring break doing a lot of DIY home improvement projects as well as DIY home recipes which included making Filipino native food specifically my favorite, Binignit and Kutsinta. I will share below the ingredients, steps, tricks and tips to get a mouthwatering finish product.
Lets start with kutsinta a.k.a steamed rice cake, a famous filipino snack that has a chewy texture served with freshly grated coconut. The steps are pretty straight forward and very easy to follow but knowing the tips before jumping into making it could actually save your life. Alright, I'm somewhat exaggerating but you know what I mean..
1. White Rice Flour is the key ingredient to kutsinta. My first attempt was a failure. I made a mistake buying the wrong type of rice flour only to find out that there are two types of rice flour: White rice flour and Gelatinous rice flour or Sweet rice flour. The latter will not retain it's shape (formless). I ended up with a chewy blobby texture which I definitely did not expect. But if you mindlessly bought gelatinous or sweet rice flour like I did, don't fret, save it for the delicious Binignit which I am going to share a few tips later on as well.
2. Grease the silicone cups. You'll thank me when you do. It will save you time from prodding deforming the kutsinta in the process. You would wanna have a presentable finish product, wouldn't you?
3. Fill the silicone cups halfway with the kutsinta mixture. Although the plastic cups are already tiny to begin with, filling them halfway will save cooking time. The thinner they are the faster it will cook. It took me about 50 minutes to steam full plastic cups whereas about 30 minutes when it was only halfway full. Less cooking time, faster turn around time per batch of kutsinta cups. Bladidah! Simple math.
4. Lastly, allow kutsinta to cool after taking it out from the steamer. Let the top part of the cooked kutsinta set. It enhances the shiny appearance of the finish product. Remember, patience saves a thousand moments of regret.
I hope that you find my tips and tricks helpful. The ingredients and steps are as follows:
Kutsinta Recipe:
1 1/2 cup White Rice Flour
1/2 cup All purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tsp lye water
1 tsp annatto powder mixed in 1 tbsp water (I used Mama Sita's Achuete pack)
1. Combine and mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
2. Add water until all ingredients are completely mix
3. Add lye water and dissolved annatto powder into the mixture
4. Mix and filter mixture using corlander to have uniform consistensy.
5. Fill silicone cups halfway and steam for about 20-30 minutes.
6. Serve with freshly grated coconut.
7. Enjoy!
Moving forward to our next Native Filipino Food ---- Binignit a.k.a Ginataang halo-halo. Remember the Gelatinous Rice Flour I mentioned above? You do? Good! Combining coconut milk with it will give the Binignit a thick consistency. Quick trivia, did you know that Sweet Rice Flour is also the primary ingredient for the famous Japanese delicacy called mochi later developed into mochi ice-cream? Yummy!
Alright going back to Binignit, this is a popular dish in Visayas and Mindanao. Mostly cooked and enjoyed during Holy Week by Visayans and I'm glad I made it. I have a few simple tips before making the Binignit.
1. Add Gelatinous Rice Flour gradually until you get your desired consistency. Adding it in small quantity makes less room for error if that makes any sense.
2. Be cautious not to overcook the vegetables. Depending on how big your binignit pot is and how much you are making, make sure it is time accordingly so you will not end up with shriveled tubers. It's more pleasant when you can actually chew the vegetables while sipping the soup. It's just meant to be enjoyed that way.
3. Do not hesitate to add more coconut milk when needed. I used fresh coconut milk and later on added canned coconut cream because sometimes the liquid just evaporates.
There are numerous ingredients called for in making Binignit. I miss out one ingredient which could have made it special, the jackfruit. At the time, It was not available at my asian store. Nevertheless, it turned out flavorful.
I hope you enjoyed reading my post that you actually get to keep these recipes to your food arsenal. Until next time. Happy cooking!
Binignit Recipe:
4 cups Coconut Milk
2 cups water
1/8 cup glutinous rice
2 pcs gabi or taro, cubed
2 pcs purple yam, cubed
2 pcs sweet potato, cubed
3 pcs saba banana, cubed
1 cup jackfruit, shredded
1-2 cups brown sugar, depending on your taste
1 cup colored boba pearls, cooked
1/2 cup tapioca pearls cooked (optional)
1 cup coconut cream/milk
1. Mix coconut milk and water in a pot. Simmer on medium heat for about 7-10 mins.
2. Add the tubers ( taro, yam, and sweet potato). Cook, stirring occasionally for about 15 mins. or until tender.
3. Pour in the coconut milk/cream. Stir and simmer for about 5 mins.
3. Add gradually glutinous Rice while stirring until you obtain desired consistency.
4. Put banana, jackfruit, boba and tapioca pearls. Simmer, stirring occasionally for another 8mins.
5. Serve hot or cold. Enjoy!
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