Easy to Follow Puto Maya & Sikwate Recipe

 For my first blog @ my Tiny Kitchen, I'm excited to share to you a simple, but delicious recipe of one of the famous native delicacies in the Philippines -- the Puto Maya & Sikwate.

   While toast, bacon and egg might be common as great morning chews in the West, having Puto Maya & Sikwate for breakfast for Filipinos is a delight! It may not be advisable to eat this every day though because chocolate should be eaten in moderation for health reasons. I recommend serving it on occasions when families feel like gathering longer around the breakfast table, a rare opportunity these days.

     Truth be told, this is something I just recently tried cooking. Thanks to the holidays, I finally had the time to do this one.   Turned out to be really delicious and I hope you will have fun and enjoy it, too!

  By the way, this recipe is known to be paired with ripe mango slices. It's a wonderful combination, just so you know.

Happy cooking!

What you'll need:

For the Puto Maya

2 cups of glutinous rice
1 cup of ordinary rice
2 cups of fresh, thick coconut milk
2 pieces ginger, sliced and cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces
a pinch or two of salt

*You may also try using pure glutinous rice. The result is different of course. It's obviously more sticky.
* Serves 5-6

For the Sikwate (Hot Chocolate)

2 cups water
4 or more pieces of tablea or 4  tbsp of cocoa powder
3/4 cup brown sugar or to taste
1/2 cup evaporated milk
vanilla

What to do:

To Extract the Coconut Milk

It's always better to use fresh coconut milk and extract the milk using the old-fashioned way rather than use canned ones.  To make two to two and a half cups of fresh milk, you will need three grated coconut meat.

1.Place the grated coconut in a large bowl and add 2 cups of hot to warm water.
2. Mix using your hands when the temperature is tolerable and squeeze for about 3 minutes to ensure the water is absorbed.

Hot water here is needed to be able to get the rich, natural milk and aroma of the grated coconut.

To Make the Puto Maya

1. Combine the glutinous and ordinary rice and rinse it with water, then add water and let the rice soak in water for 30 minutes and drain.
2. Transfer rice to a pot or rice cooker.  Insert ginger slices in rice.  Add the coconut milk.The milk should just be a little bit above the level of the rice, not much or else the rice will become too soft.   Sprinkle with salt.
3. Cook like ordinary rice in a rice cooker:  wait till mixture boils, then stir if needed, so the rice at the bottom won't get burnt.
4.  When rice is cooked, let it cool.  Then remove the ginger slices.
5.  Mold the cooked rice in cups of your choice and place in a saucer OR you may wrap molded rice in banana leaf to improve aroma.


To Make the Sikwate

1. In a pot, boil water.
2. Add the tablea or cocoa powder.  When using tablea, make sure that everything is evenly melted by whisking vigorously using a ladle or whisk.
3. Pour in sugar and milk. Stir well. Adjust sweetness to taste.  I like mine super sweet to complement the bland taste of the puto maya.  Add vanilla and keep warm.

NOTE:  Puto Maya is best eaten when warm, so keep the chocolate pot warm.