PUTONG BIGAS (PUTONG PUTI)

Traditional steamed rice cake or Putong Bigas (Putong Puti) is a steamed delicacy made of rice soaked overnight for fermentation before grinding and steaming.

I grew up with this traditional steamed cake made of rice on a banana leaf bought from a wet market in the early morning of weekends. This is  one of my favourite times with Mamang going for an early marketing (dawn to be exact) to grab some freshly cooked kakanin of bibingka, puto, suman, kutchinta and cassava cakes. All comes in small slices displayed in Bilao. We never leave the market without passing by our "suki" of kakanins. And i always had an extra piece of puto just for myself courtesy of "Manang vendor", those hot steaming white bun and a smell of fresh steamed banana leaf, hhhmmm 😊. I always put a smile on Manang's face as I do my "puto sniffing" before taking a bite,   that's how i got my free piece! 😆

I cooked puto on several occasions and this is the first time I am adding this to my collection. This uses rice flour instead of going thru the soaking and grinding thingy of rice. Saves time.

PUTONG BIGAS

makes 18 pcs of 8cm moulder, using 1 layer of electric steamer

2 c rice flour

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ tbsp baking powder

¾ c caster sugar

1 c water

1 pack - 200 ml coconut cream
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Banana leaves

Moulder

In a bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.

Add water, vanilla (if using) and coconut milk. Stir to combine.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day before you do the steaming, prepare the moulds.

Heat banana leaves over stove to soften it and easy to place inside the mould.

Using a ring or small platter, cut a round shape that fits into your mould.

Then place banana inside the mould.

Take your batter and fill the mould about full.

Arrange molds in a steamer and steam puto for about 8 minutes.

Remove and ready to serve.

THAI PINEAPPLE RICE

Who does not love fried rice?

Waking up in the morning in the aroma of roasted garlic is a scent of fried rice in the making. My son mastered (for his age) the fried rice making: simple as garlic rice to a more complex ingredients of Yang Chow. The dish is simple but the preparations, the ingredients as well as the seasonings make it a little complex. A morning without fried rice for him is like a morning without coffee for others-- the day is incomplete!

Sharing another Thai dish recipe served with an exotic touch--

THAI PINEAPPLE RICE

Ingredients

10 pcs shelled shrimps/ prawns

2 c cooked rice

1 head garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium bell pepper/ poivron

1 carrots, chopped

1 c fresh pineapple chunks

½ c baked whole cashew nuts

1 tbsp LKK Superior Light Soy Sauce

1 tsp Hao Chi (knorr seasoning)

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp curry powder

Spring onions, chopped

EVOO

In a pan, add oil to pan fry the shrimps.

Remove and set aside.

In the same pan sauté garlic and onions.

Add bell pepper, pineapple, carrots.  Stir and cook for about a minute.

Add cashew nuts, soy sauce, seasoning and sesame oil. Stir and taste.

Then add curry powder stir to combine.

Add rice and shrimp/prawns mix everything.

When done, sprinkle with spring onion.

Toss rice and scoop into a plate or your prepared pineapple bowl.

Serve and enjoy.

Salmon Coulibiac

Coulibiac is a popular Russian Pirog ( a dough filled with either sweet or savoury ) dish served during festivities. Quite intriguing the first time i heard about it... I even asked the waiter --  Couli what? and while looking at it, the methodology is working on my mind and the thought of pastry dough discouraged me to make one, until i found the solution, TING!  This might be a little overwhelming, but with few alternatives we can enjoy gourmet food at the comfort of our homes. Try it!

I'm not going to scare you with the dough (I will try my own dough one of these days) but for now-- let's make it a little easy-peasy...

SALMON COULIBIAC
what you need: 

about 1/2  kg slab of salmon belly (boneless and skinless) 
Cooked Rice Pilaf , rice, vege or your favourite quinoa
Salt and pepper
2 square sheets of puff pastry
eggyolk for brushing

Assembly:

1. Frozen salmon slab, dash with salt and pepper
Take out your puff pastry and thaw halfway just enough to fold it.

2. Lay flat the pastry on a baking tray lined with parchment (for easy cleaning and assembling)

3. Place rice at the center the size of the salmon slab.
Lay the slab on top the rice (skin side on top).
Then  cover the layers with another puff pastry.
Bring the two pastry sheets together, either fold or crimp to seal the sides.

4. Turn the pastry side-up, this time the rice side should be on top.
Then place the pastry in  your baking tray and into the freezer for about an hour to settle the pastry.

5. While freezing the pastry, pre-heat oven to 180 degrees with fan.
When oven is ready, take out the pastry, brush the top with slightly beaten eggyolk .
Bake for 20 minutes or until top of pasty turns brown.

6. When done, remove from oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving and slicing.

Note:  You can make this ahead, even a day before your party or dinner or lunch to save time, after all this has to be frozen before baking.

You can use blached vegetables instead or rice pilaff.  Best is blanched spinach, asparagus or broccoli.

RAISINS RICE PILAF

Recently, we fancied colourful rice to go with our roasted, baked or bbq dishes. The flavour and aroma of the rice complements the dish being served. It's appetizing and the kids loved it. 

Flavoured rice is not just a perfect pair to meat dishes. It is the preferred filling for baked savoury puffs, because it's dry and its flavour adds up to the taste of the meat, poultry or fish being baked. Pilaff is one of our favourite and when used as a filling, we call it a one whole pocketed meal! 
So here we go--

RAISINS RICE PILAF
Ingredients:

2 c basmati rice
1 head garlic minced
1 small onion diced
2 cinnamon quills
5 pcs cardamon
6 pcs cloves
Dash of turmeric powder
1/2 chicken cube
EVOO
1/4 water

1 small pack of raisins (you can use cranberries too)

Method:
In a small wok, pour about 2 tbsp of EVOO. 
Pan fry cardamon and cloves to release its flavour for about a minute.
Then add garlic and onion and sauté.
Drop quills and chicken cube and add 1/4 c water.
Add a dash of turmeric.
Quickly simmer and set aside.

When done, pour the spice mixture into the washed basmati rice in a rice cooker, mix to incorporate.
Add the raisins and appropriate amount of  water and stir.
Cook according to rice cooker setting.
When done, open the rice cooker and mix the rice to incorporate the spices that have settled. 

Serve with your favourite meat or seafood dishes.

Enjoy!

NASI KUNING

My kids love “Indonesian Yellow Rice”  or Nasi Kuning.  Every time we visit an Indonesian Restaurant, my hubby and I will order the steamed rice while our kids prefer the yellow rice. It’s tasty and fragrant, reasons more appealing to the kids to go with their BBQ meat.

Nasi Kuning is an Indonesian Yellow Rice cooked in coconut milk and turmeric. It's very symbolic cause the yellow color look like a pile of gold which means good fortune, prosperity, wealth and dignity.  This symbolism made it a preferred dish for festivities, housewarming and weddings and a favorite rice for its soft texture, inviting colour, pleasing fragrance and very rich and flavourful taste.

Today is a request for Pork BBQ, so I thought Nasi Kuning is the best pair to go with this, along with our available coconut vinegar (Tuba Vinegar).  Lunch will be served in Indo-fil inspired dish, satisfying cravings for the day!

Nasi Kuning  (Rice Cooker Version)

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 c Basmati rice

200 ml light coconut milk

200 ml water

2 tsp turmeric powder

1 pc bay leaf

1 stalk lemongrass-crushed

1 pc pandan leaf – knotted 

Pich of salt

Method:

Place rice in a rice cooker. Wash rice and drain.  Place all the ingredients and stir.

Cook rice in a rice cooker like cooking a regular rice.  When done, ready to serve.

Make sure to stir and mix the ingredients properly.

To go with your favorite meat dish. For us, serving its with Pork Belly Pinoy BBQ with soya sauce-kalamansi dip, blanched Baby French Beans and Unripe Mango with Bagoong (Shrimp paste).

Bibingka

In my quest to find the recipe that fits my "used to" bibingka sold in the dirty market in our home town: grainy yet soft when served hot,  sweet and with the aroma of burnt banana leaves, i've decided to make a hybrid version. More like soft, fluffy and a little grainy texture. Finally a little upgrade of what i used to have, not that i am saying what i used to have is not delicious, it's just like we can make something a little more palatable than what we used to have :-D.

Be warned that if you are immersed in a culturally diverse group of friends, always clarify what you refer because each region has its own version of bibingka, like the bibingka galapong i made or you ask for "puto" and you will be given "biko" instead. So here it is the quest for the authentic bibingka. 

I can't get that authentic burned banana leaves aroma since those were cooked in a traditional way of "oven" where batter was placed in a claypot lined with banana leaves and baked in a clay oven sandwich by charcoal, but this is the closest i can achieve, finally--


BIBINGKA
makes 1 7" pie pan and 1 mamon pan.

1 c rice flour
1/2 c light muscovado sugar ( or you can use 2/3 c regular brown sugar)
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 c coconut milk
1 whole egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Procedure:

Pre-heat oven in 180 degrees.
In a bowl place flour, baking powder and sugar. Mix to combine.
In a mini blender, place egg, coconut milk and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and combine.
Then pour the batter into the prepared pan lined with banana leaf.
Bake for 30 minutes or less until the toothpick comes out clean when tested.
Remove from oven when done and top with grated coconut.
Serve warm with coffee and tea.

Awesome!!!

Fresh from the oven, see those signature cracks? 

This is the texture I am looking for --

Enjoy it with your favorite drink... serve warm with grated coconut or grated cheddar cheese.

Broccoli Fried Rice

Tired of having plain egg and plain rice every morning?, Let's make a twist.  I have few of the ingredients in the fridge and I'm going to make use of it.  Come join me...


BROCCOLI FRIED RICE
serve 4 to 6 depends on your servings...

Ingredients:

1 medium size onion, minced
1 smal head broccoli, sliced into small florets
5 cups cooked rice
300 g bacon rashers
2 eggs, scrambled or chopped into small pieces
oil for sautéing
2 tbsp oyster sauce, more if you prefer
pinch of salt
dash of black pepper
drizzle of sesame oil

Procedure:

1. Prepare the ingredients.
2. heat pan and add oil.
3. Saute onion and bacon rashers.
4. Add broccoli and stir fry for about a minute.
5. Add rice and season with salt and pepper.
6. Add oyster sauce and cook stir until rice is heated up thoroughly and broccoli is done.
7. Add egg then drizzle the sesame oil.
8. Stir and serve hot with hot tea, coffee of chocolate milk.

Enjoy!