Easy if you know how

Despite what it says on the sidebar, I did not have adventure in mind when I started this blog. I was simply looking to store my notes (albeit in a more formal fashion) in a place I could access from the Web. Along the way the iPad/iPhone had rendered that moot, but not before I discovered that I rather enjoyed these little literary exercises.

Note that I said “literary.” I just happened to write about food (and how to cook it, on occasion) — mostly those my family favors: adobo, spaghetti, pizza, and anything with coconut cream (or fried). If you had told me then that several years hence I would be writing about making puto (sticky rice) myself, I would have laughed in your face. Why the hell should I care to? If it’s puto I wanted, I could always buy some!

But I can’t resist a challenge. When a friend requested me to feature this native delicacy, specifically asking for a recipe (her parents are both from Leyte), I knew it was time to learn. So I accosted the first person I met — our laundrywoman. “How do you make puto ?” “Oh, it’s easy.” “You mean you know how?” “No, but it’ easy.”

“Why,” said my friend Oliver, “it’s just pilit and tunô. Cook them together and you have puto!”

“I know that much, but how much of each? And how do you cook it?”

“What do you mean, ‘how?’ You just cook it and that’s that! It’s that easy.”

Easy it was. I followed this recipe I found on Yummy and got puto, all right. But it was too sweet and swimming in rendered coconut oil. Yikes. By the way, it is formally known as puto dayon in Bisaya (puto maya in Tagalog). It was only fitting that a fellow Bisaya (via YouTube) showed me that the rice should be steamed — not boiled in coconut cream.

“Oh,” Oliver said, “didn’t I tell you that?”

Ladies and gentlemen, I won’t be modest (or taking any more of your time than I need to). It was one fine puto. What’s more, I got a good facial from all that steam. Not that you need one, Juliet; you’ve got great complexion. Enjoy your painit.

Puto ug Sikwate (Sticky Rice with Hot Cocoa)

This recipe serves 4-5 persons. To make a bigger batch, double the ingredient amounts. For those who want it sweeter, add more sugar, but remember that the puto will taste sweeter when served at room temp. You can also add more ginger if desired (use the smaller native ones if you can get them).

For the sticky rice:
• 1 cup glutinous rice
• 1¼ cup coconut cream
• ⅓ cup white sugar
• pinch of salt
• 50 grams peeled ginger, sliced ¼″ thick
• 
  For the hot cocoa:
• 5 tablea (cacao tablets)
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup brown sugar

1. Rinse rice and pour off water. Cook in a steamer (with the water already at a boil). At the 20-minute mark, remove cover, take a spoon, and create several vents/holes in the rice (it’s very dense) so steam can pass through and cook rice evenly. Replace cover. Meanwhile, combine coconut cream, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
2. After 10 minutes, spoon several tablespoons of cream mixture over rice, add sliced ginger, and gently fold them in. Make new steam holes before replacing cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then repeat the process until cream mixture is used up. This should take 15 to 20 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked.
3. For the sikwate, boil water, then add cocoa tablets, whisking vigorously until completely dissolved. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk some more until mixture turns frothy. For a smoother drink, strain out the solids with a fine mesh. Serve alongside puto with sliced mango or fried dried fish (optional).