Puto Maya Anyone?
Admit it, the people of the modern era do not know that much of native Filipino delicacies. Pies, pastries, exotic cuisines and even fast food goodies have overwhelmed the people of today quite much. Anything new always attracts more attention. One of the tastiest Filipino cooking which is occasionally left unnoticed by some is our very own version of rice cake. We call it here “Puto Maya”.What pops out in your mind when you hear the word Puto Maya? It must be something more like a sticky rice meal with some great taste on it. Puto Maya has been introduced by my grandmother during my childhood days. It’s always perfect for “Biyernes Santo” or Good Friday during the Holy Week, for offerings and for all other occasions or when you just want to laze around on an afternoon and eat something yummy.
Doing Magic in Cooking Your Own Puto Maya
Puto Maya is actually a classic all-Filipino rice cake that we can boast of and made by steaming. The process may seem a bit strenuous and complicated to do for any starter but you’ll get there given the right motivation to cook your own Puto. The following are the specific ingredients and steps to make a good set of Puto Maya which has been handed by my very own Lola:
Ingredients:
10 cups glutinous or sticky (“malagkit”) rice
4 ½ cups rich coconut milk
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons (full) salt
2 tablespoons ginger extract
Procedure:
Soak the glutinous (“malagkit”) rice for at least 30 minutes and steam cook until done. Mix together the white sugar, coconut milk, salt and ginger extract. Remove the glutinous (“malagkit”) rice from the steamer and mix with the coconut milk mixture. Steam again for 40 minutes or until done. This is good for around 25 servings. For a more appetizing cooking, you can dip the Puto into brown sugar or into hot choco (Sikwate) drink. Happy Eating!
Photo courtesy of whologwhy.
