Saturday, January 15, 2011

Kuchintang Pula’t Puti

melts in the mouth—so nice and smooth! The best I’ve tasted. Aling Nene’s secret? “Ang kuchinta ko ay may kakang gata,” she says.

Puti

½ k glutinous rice and ½ k regular rice (soak in water for 2 hours then grind)

1 k regular sugar (adjust sugar according to taste)

2 tbsp lihiya

2/3 c kakang gata

1½ c water

Combine ingredients and mix well.

Prepare steamer, preferably bamboo.

Line steamer with cheesecloth.

Once water boils, pour half the mixture onto cheesecloth and steam white portion of kuchinta for 30 minutes or until it hardens.

Pour pula mixture of kuchinta over the by-now steamed white kuchinta.

Continue to steam for 15 minutes.

Unmold, slice and serve with niyog.

Pula

1 c achuete water

100 g light brown sugar

1/3 c kakang gata

To the remaining half of the mixture, add 1 cup achuete water, 100 g sugar (light brown) and 1/3 cup kakang gata.

Biko

1 k malagkit, cook in rice cooker using the Mount Fuji method—water line is same level as the first line or bend of the middle finger; do not overcook

¼ k pinipig

Once the rice has mostly absorbed the liquid, sprinkle pinipig on top of malagkit; cover and leave rice cooker until done (light of rice cooker turns green).

1 k coconut milk, first extraction

1 k golden brown sugar

On a nonstick wok, cook kakang gata gently over low heat, mixing gently for about 20 minutes.

Add brown sugar; cook, stirring until mixture comes to a boil.

Add malagkit with pinipig.

Keep mixing over low heat.

Tip: “Ang masarap na biko ay makunat. Ang sekreto ng biko ay ang paghalo— pag mabigat na haluin, lumalaban, makunat, hanguin na ito.”

Transfer to coconut leaf-lined bilao.

Top with latik.

Latik

2 c kakang gata

In a saucepan, pour 2 cups kakang gata.

Keep stirring over low heat until latik is formed.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Bicho-bicho

This recipe is quite large and may be halved. I prefer eating these donuts simply rolled in white sugar. They have to be consumed right after frying, which I think won't be a problem because they are very good.

Bicho-bicho
1. Put in a mixing bowl:
1 C lukewarm water
1 T active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 C bread flour

2. Beat thoroughly. Cover and let rise for
  
¼ C melted butter or grape seed oil
1 C light brown sugar
2 well beaten eggs
1½ C bread flour

3. Beat well. Cover and let rise again until dough is light, about 1 hour. Punch down.
4. Add more flour if dough is too soft to handle. Turn out into a well-floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Cover each and let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Roll dough to ½-inch thickness and cut into 6 x 1-inch strips. Set on baking sheets, cover and let rise for 1 hour.
6. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, roll in granulated sugar. Enjoy!
 
½ hour. Add:

GOLDILOCKS ENSAIMADA

There were also a lot of readers who emailed me for the Goldilocks Bakeshop ensaimada which unfortunately I don't have. I don't think anybody, except for the people who work in that bakeshop, has the exact recipe. I have one from my cookbook FAVORITE FILIPINO RECIPES by Pat Limjuco Dayrit which comes closest to the Goldilocks Bakeshop ensaimada in taste and texture. It takes the whole day to make, though.
 
Ensaimada
½ C lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar
1 level tsp dry yeast
1 cup flour
6 egg yolks
9 T sugar
6 T butter, softened
2 C flour
extra butter, softened
1 C grated cheese, preferably queso de bola
sugar

Put lukewarm water in a stand mixer bowl. Add sugar and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Add flour and mix with a wooden spoon.
Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until double in bulk.
Add egg yolks, sugar and butter to flour mixture. Add to this the 2 cups of flour and knead with dough hook attachment.
Cover and let rise again in warm place for 3 hours.
Divide dough in 12 portions. Roll each portion to ¼-inch thick. Spread butter and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Roll up, starting from one end and twist like a knot.
Place into an ensaimada mould or large muffin pan lined with parchment then greased.
Keep in a warm place to rise for 4 hours.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 - 12 minutes.
Brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar and grated cheese.

Ensaimada (Spanish)
And for Spanish nationals who live outside Spain and would like to make ensaimada, here is the recipe adapted from THE CUISINES OF SPAIN by Teresa Barrenechea. This one doesn't have a single pat of butter, it uses lard and she explains that in Majorcan saim means lard. I have made this ensaimada and I think this is the best recipe.
Makes three 8-inch diameter coils
4½ tsp yeast
2/3 C whole milk, heated to lukewarm
3½ C flour, sifted
½ tsp salt
¾ C sugar
2 eggs
6 T olive oil, plus extra for oiling rolling pin, work surface, and baking sheets
½ C melted and cooled lard
½ C confectioner's sugar
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/3 cup of the warm milk and let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and add the remaining milk, eggs, olive oil, and the yeast mixture into the well. Using a spoon, gradually pull the mixture into the well, stirring as you do. When a uniform dough has formed, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky; if dough is too sticky work in a little more flour. Gather the dough into a ball, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Oil a work surface, a rolling pin and 1 or 2 baking sheets. Roll out 1 portion into a 10 x 6-inch rectangle. Brush with lard and fold in half lengthwise. Brush with melted lard and fold again in half lengthwise. Roll again into a 10 x 6-inch rectangle and starting from the long side, roll up into a tight 10-inch cylinder. Shape it into a snail-like coil. Repeat with the 2 remaining dough portions.
Place the coils on the oiled sheets, cover with kitchen towel and let rest in a warm spot overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the coils for 30 minutes, or until they are airy and golden and springs back when pressed with a fingertip.
Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks. Dust with confectioner's sugar and cut into segments just before serving.
 

Black And White Layered Bibingka

For black and white rice bibingka and puto bumbong, it is important to use glutinous black rice. There are non-glutinous black rice which I am not recommending because they don't have the same consistency as glutinous and take forever to cook.
For the suman, you can add a variety of flavors after boiling the glutinous rice in coconut milk and sugar. Fresh grated ginger is extra yummy paired with a mug of hot cocoa, chai, or jasmine tea. Another delicious flavor is the combination of chopped peanuts and chocolate, adding either grated dark chocolate or dark cocoa powder. Wrap in banana leaves and steam for 30 minutes.

Black And White Layered Bibingka
1 cup black glutinous rice
1 cup white glutinous rice
3 cups water, halved
½ cup sugar, halved
2 cups coconut milk, halved
salt
banana leaves
coconut jam

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch round or square pan with banana leaves, set aside.
Cook the rice in 2 separate non-stick saucepans: Heat 1½ cups water, then add each of the rice. Let come to a full boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt and cook for 1 minute more. Spread the cooked black rice evenly on the lined pan. Spread the cooked white rice evenly on top of the black rice. Spread coconut jam all over the rice.
Bake for 30 minutes. Transfer the pan on the upper rack, turn on the broiler, and broil for a few minutes until jam is bubbly and browned. Do not let burn. Cool before slicing.

Bibingka

A package of store-bought bibingka mix has been waiting for a few weeks now for my attention. I have always made bibingka from scratch with rice flour but sometimes I get lazy and want to have them right away. The thing is, there's really not much difference with the flavor and the amount of time I spent mixing because the packaged bibingka has only baking powder and salt added to the rice flour and maybe preservatives or anti-caking agents and nothing else. I baked half of the mix in muffin cups and the rest in small molds, all lined with cut banana leaves. I didn't have salted duck eggs and topped the muffins with small pieces of kesong puti (farmer's white cheese) which you can substitute with Indian paneer or well-drained and salted cottage cheese. You can also use mild white cheddar cheese or better yet, make some kesong puti. Heck, you can even top the bibingka with chocolate chips, Nutella, or salted caramel and they will still be soft and fluffy and will taste heavenly.

Bibingka
banana leaves, optional
1
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
¾ cup powdered sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup water or milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
kesong puti (farmer's white cheese)
grated or scraped fresh coconut
butter and sugar, optional

Preheat toaster oven to 425°F.
Line muffin cups with banana leaves. In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients, except cheese, grated coconut, and optional butter and sugar, until well incorporated. Batter should be runny; add more water or milk to adjust consistency. Fill the cups half-full. Top with small pieces of cheese and bake for 12 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
Spread some butter and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Top with grated coconut.

soft, fluffy, and buttery
½ cups rice flour 

Filipino Egg Pie

One of the few Filipino baked goods that was unappealing to me and therefore never had before is egg pie. The custard dessert I remember had very thick nuclear yellow filling and it smelled eggy too. I don't know what came over me today but I suddenly wanted to try a friend's recipe that has only 3 eggs and no cornstarch or flour as thickener. And I'm glad I did bake it. The pie with its light creamy custard filling and my homemade buttery flaky crust is heavenly delicious but oh so rich. The filling has half a cup of butter in it! It is rather an indulgent dessert but I love it specially the subtle flavor combination of vanilla and lemon extracts and the dark brown crust on the custard gives a nice color contrast to the pale yellow filling beneath. This is great stuff.

Filipino Egg Pie
buttery flaky pie crust
1
½ teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup very cold diced unsalted butter
½ cup ice water with a few ice cubes
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. With fingertips and working quickly, rub the butter into the flour. Sprinkle ¼ cup water, adding more if needed, ½ tablespoon at a time, and stir with a fork until the dough comes together and gathers into a ball. Flatten the dough, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 h0urs. Roll to fit into a 9 or 10-inch pie plate. Trim and crimp the edges using the back of a table knife. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
custard filling
3 whole eggs
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
12 ounces whole milk, scalded and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Preheat oven to 425°F.
In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, butter, and sugar until fluffy. On low speed, beat in the rest of the ingredients until fully incorporated. Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator, pour the filling in, bake on the lower third shelf of the oven for 1 hour or until crust is golden in color. Cool on a rack for 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
¼ cups all-purpose flour 

Barquillos

Not only are the barquillos made by Filipino bakers very thin, they are uniform in size and I can honestly say yummier than mine. And most important, they're not terribly expensive so why bother. Unless I want the barquillos flavored with say lychee or orange blossoms.

Barquillos
½ cup butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or other flavoring
2 egg whites
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Draw 4-inch circles 2 inches apart on parchment paper, flip the paper and place on a cookie sheet.
In a standing mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, cream butter with sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in egg whites until smooth. Stir in the flour.
Drop 1½ teaspoons of the dough onto the baking sheet then spread thinly with a small offset spatula.
Bake one sheet pan at a time until wafers are brown along edges. Remove wafers from the baking sheet, one at a time, using a spatula or kitchen turner. Roll each wafer around the handle of a wooden spoon until edges overlap. Cool seam side down on a wire rack until crisp all over.
 
one recipe makes about 2 dozens 4-inch barquillos

batter is kind of tight perhaps 1/4 cup of water will help loosen it up. I have seen making them in Negros and they use a metal rod to roll in the wafer once they are out of the oven. The batter when they pour it on the baking sheet it flows like a lava. No need for the baker to spread the batter with a spatula.