By RG @ Astig Vegan
Because everyone is feeling the holiday spirit (I know I am!), I’m featuring something classic and quintessential where I came from. Back in the Philippines, the holiday season won’t be the same without Putobumbong, a sweet rice cake coated in grated coconut, slathered with butter, and served with muscovado and brown sugar.
Putobumbong in the Philippines
Usually, Filipinos enjoy Putobumbong after a “midnight mass” (which doesn’t really happen during midnight but during twilight hours). But it’s not just the time of the year that makes this dish special. Aside from its seasonal timing, Filipinos love Putobumbong because of its sweet and nutty flavor and chewy texture. Another enticing feature is the aroma coming from the steaming rice and grated coconut. As a result, the aromas create amelodious, warming sensation perfect for the holiday season. But you don’t have to be Filipino or someone who has tried it before to appreciate what it has to offer you.
Believe it or not, Putobumbong is a Christmas street food. Over time, Filipino households have adopted ways to make it at home. For example, Filipinos would use a regularsteamer instead of the classic lansugan steamer with cylinder bamboo tubes. As for me, I prefer to use something in between, which is a bamboo steamer. Also, I prefer a vegan version so I would use vegan butter instead of regular butter. Alternatively, you’re more than welcome to use regular coconut oil.
Newly ImprovedRecipe
As you may have noticed, I’ve already posted a Putobumbong recipe in the past. If you look closely at this new one, the recipe simplifies the process even further. As a common practice, I constantly strive to make my recipes better in taste and in practicality. In this newly improved version, I’ve found a way to simplify making the rice dough. Just soak the rice for at least overnight, blend with a bit of water, and mix with sweet rice flour.
To see what people think of the new version, I’ve tried making this for a holiday potluck. Thankfully, those who were familiar with Putobumbong said it brought them back to the Philippines (success!). And those who never had it before started asking me questions about the ingredients. Because of their positive feedback, I now feel confident to share this newer, better version with you.
Vegan Putobumbong - Newly Improved Recipe
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Serves: 12-15
Ingredients
- 1 cup sweet black rice (also known as glutinous black rice)
- Water for soaking
- 2 - 2½ cups sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour), plus more
- Few pinches sea salt
- Few pinches sea salt
- 1 pack fresh grated mature coconut (about 14 ounces)
- ¼ cup vegan butter or coconut oil
- Muscovado sugar as a condiment
- Organic brown sugar as a condiment
EQUIPMENT:- Blender or food processor
- Bamboo steamer (steel steamer is okay)
Instructions
- Soak black rice in water overnight.
- Transfer rice to a food processor or high-speed blender and pour with just enough amount of water to cover the rice.
- Blend until rice has been powdered and texture is like soft wet dough.
- Transfer rice dough to a mixing bowl and add sweet rice flour and salt.
- Using your hands or spatula, mix well to fully incorporate the flour. You should have a dough that could be formed into logs. If the dough is still too wet and soft, add more sweet rice flour.
- Using your hands, form dough into small logs. Shape and size don't have to be precise.
- Steam for 8-10 minutes. Alternatively, instead of steaming, you can drop the rice logs in a boiling pot of water. When they float, they're done.
- Place rice cake on a bed of fresh grated mature coconut and coat all sides.
- Brush with vegan butter. You may also use coconut oil.
- Serve with muscovado and organic brown sugar on top and on the side.
Notes
You can find sweet black rice and sweet white rice at Asian grocery stores and natural food stores, or online.
If you can't find both kinds of rice, you can use purple yam powder and sweet rice flour, also available at Asian grocery stores and online.
You can find fresh grated mature coconut in the frozen section of Asian grocery stores. You may use dried coconut flakes as an alternative.
In the US, brown sugar is not vegan but organic brown sugar is.
MaybePutobumbong brings back happy childhood memories for you or maybe you haven’t even heard of it before. In case you haven’t heard of it, perhaps it would be fun to introduce this to your loved ones as something new for the holidays. Who knows, maybe it would be a great conversation starter, even a party hit. And if this dish brings back nostalgia, perhaps you can introduce a vegan version that will intrigue your family and friends, and yes be a good conversation starter too. Either way, I’m looking forward to hearing all about it. This upcoming holiday season, I wish you and your loved ones happiness and cheer.
Kain na, let’s eat!
SHOP THE RECIPE:
- Sweet Black Rice
- Glutinous Sweet Rice Flour
- Muscovado Sugar
- Organic Brown Sugar
- Bamboo Steamer
- Purple Yam Powder
