Puto at Kutsinta in the morning

I am recovering from a bad cough and cold that forced me into calling in sick yesterday. This morning, I am still debating about calling in sick again as I dragged myself out of bed to fix myself a cup of hot green tea. It was in this barely awake state that I heard the soliciting shouts and signature honking of the puto vendor. My tummy reacted right away. I had eaten dinner too early last night and I had no care for pan de sal this morning so puto at kutsinta seemed like the yummiest thing in the world. I called the puto vendor and asked for 50 pesos (about $1.00) worth of puto and kutsinta.

Puto connotes many different forms in the Philippines depending on what region you are from. But in this case, puto is a white, light and airy steamed rice cake, sort of like a chiffon cake. Kutsinta, on the other hand is brown, sticky, and glutinous. Both are made of rice flour and served with grated coconut.

Puto and kutsinta are traditional Filipino snacks and are often peddled my ambulant vendors that carry these delicious morsels in metal containers over their shoulder. They are also sold in wet markets and certain street corners all over the Philippines.

This plate of traditional Philippine delicacies cost only Php30

(Php2.50 for Kutsinta and Php5.00 for Puto)

Here are the recipes of Puto and Kutsinta by Reynaldo Alejandro's (The Food of the Philippines and The Philippine Cookbook) as can be found in asiarecipe.com:

Kutsinta

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice flour
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon lye water (potassium carbonate solution sold in Asian food stores)
• Freshly grated coconut

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Pour into muffin pans, until halfway full. Steam in a large pan with a cover; the water should be 2 inches deep. Cook for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Add more water if needed until cooking is done. Remove from the muffin pans and serve with freshly grated coconut. Serves 4.

Puto

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rice flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon anise seeds (optional)
• 1 cup grated coconut (or coconut flakes)

Directions:

Sift first four ingredients together. In a mixing bowl, add coconut milk to sifted ingredients and blend well to make a smooth mixture. Add anise seeds. Mix and blend thoroughly and fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Cook in a steamer for 30 minutes. Test for doneness. Muffins are done when toothpick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Serve hot topped with grated coconut, or butter.