Kutsinta

Kutsinta is a brown rice cake, a very famous snack in the Philippines and is always serve with freshly grated coconut.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

2 cups brown sugar

3 cups water

1 teaspoon lye water (potassium carbonate solution sold in most Asian food stores)

Freshly grated coconut

Cooking Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.

2. Pour into muffin pans, until halfway full.

3. Steam in a large preheated pan with a cover; the water should be 2 inches deep.

4. Cook for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

5. Add more water if needed until cooking is done.

Note:

If you see problems with this recipe, like for instance, the kutsinta is somewhat

watery or seems to be harder, then try adjusting the amount of water that you have used.

Also check the rice flour that you are using as its quality is also a very important

factor in making high quality kutsinta.

Donuts

(This makes about 12 pieces of standard size donuts)

Ingredients: (DONUTS )
1/4-ounce package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
3/4 cup warm milk
2 1/2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 egg
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups vegetable oil

Ingredients: (GLAZE)
5 1/3 tablespoons or 1/3 cup margarine or butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup hot water

Ingredients: (CHOCOLATE GLAZE)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Procedure:
1. In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast with warm water thoroughly.
2. Add the milk, margarine or butter, egg, sugar, and salt, and blend with an electric mixer until smooth.
3. Add half the flour and mix for 30 seconds.
4. Add the remaining flour and knead the dough with flour-dusted hands until smooth.
5. Cover the bowl of dough and leave it in a comfy, warm place until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour. You can tell that the dough has risen enough when you poke it with your finger and the indentation stays.
6. Rollout the dough on a heavily floured surface until it's about 1/2 inch thick.
7. If you don't have a donut cutter, and don't intend to buy one, here's a way to punch out your dough: Empty a standard 15-ounce can of whatever you can find-vegetables, refried beans, even dog food. Be sure to wash out the can very well, and punch a hole in the opposite end so that the dough won't be held inside the can by a vacuum.
8. When you've punched out all the dough (you should have about a dozen unholed donuts), it's time for the holes. Find the cap to a bottle of lemon juice or Worcestershire sauce, or any other small cap with a diameter of about 1 1/4 inches. Use this to punch out holes in the center of each of your donuts.
9. Place the donuts on plates or cookie sheets, cover, and let stand in the same warm, comfy place until they nearly double in size. This will take 30 to 45 minutes.
10. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Bring the oil to about 350°F or around 180°C. It is easily tested with scrap dough left over from punching out the donuts. The dough should bubble rapidly.
11. Fry each donut for about 30 seconds per side, or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on paper towels.
12. For either the plain or the chocolate glaze, combine the margarine or butter with the powdered sugar in a medium bowl and blend with an electric mixer.
13. Add the vanilla and hot water. Mix until smooth. To make a variety of color, just add a little amout of food color you want to the glaze and mix well.
14. If you're making the chocolate glaze, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds. Stir, then microwave another 30 seconds and stir again until completely melted. Or if you don't have a microwave, you can easily do this by steaming the chocolate chips by using a double boiler. Add to the plain glaze mixture. Blend until smooth.
15. When the donuts have cooled, dip each top surface into the glaze and then flip over and cool on a plate until the glaze firms up, about 15 minutes. You may also want to put some decors on it by sprinkling colored chocolate vermicelli on top of it while the glaze is not dry yet.

For making Tidbits:
You can use those pieces of donut dough when you punched out the holes and prepare them the same way you did with the donuts.

Siopao (Chinese steamed bread buns filled with meat)

Ingredients:
3 c. All purpose flour
3 tsps yeast
1 1/2 cups luke warm water
4 tbsps Sugar
1/2 cups shortening ( crisco)
1 tsp salt

Preparation:
Dissolve yeast in luke warm water.
When dissolved, add sugar and 2 1/2 cups flour to make a soft sponge.
Beat thouroughly.
Set aside to rise until double in bulk. ( 20 - 30 minutes).
Add remainining flour and 1/4 cup shortening, and mix well.
Knead until smooth.
Divide dough into 24-36 pieces depending on desired size.
Form into balls.
Set aside

Filling:
1/2 kg. pork or chicken (cut into small pieces or coarsely ground)
1 cup onion (chopped)
1 clove Garlic (chopped finely)
3 tbsps. soy sauce
3 tbsp. Hoi sin sauce (can be found at Oriental store)
3 tbsp. Sesame oil (or crisco is fine)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
6 hard boiled eggs (cut in slice or cubes)
1 tsp. MSG (if prefered)

Filling Preparation:
Saute garlic, onion in a sesame oil (or Crisco)
Add pork or chicken.
Cook till lightly brown.
Add water, soy sauce, hoi sin sauce, sugar, ground pepper, (MSG),
and corn starch (or corn flour).
Stir until sauce boils.
Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes
Remove pan from heat.
Add hard boiled eggs.
Let cool for 5 minutes.

Filling The Dough:
Take each ball of dough and roll out on floured surface.
Place one round of dough in palm of hand.
Put one table spoon of filling in center of siopao dough.
Press edges of dough together.
Take the 2 ends of bun,
bring them up over the pinched edge and twist together firmly.
Cut 12 peices of greaseproof paper (wax paper) into2 inches square.
Brush one side lightly with oil.
Place a bun upside down, so the smooth rounded side is uppermost, on each oiled piece of paper.
Steam siopao dough for 20 minutes.

Bibingka (Filipino Rice Cake)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 lb sweet rice flour
2 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3 cups milk (fresh or evaporated)
5 whole eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup coconut flakes

Cooking Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix all ingredients in a greased 13 x 9 pan or you may distribute them

on muffin pans collaged with banana leaves.
Bake 1 hour at 350°F, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool before serving.

Makes about 15-20 pieces.

Brazo De Mercedes

Brazo De Mercedes

Ingredients (FILLING):
1 cup condensed milk
8 egg yolks
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
2 tbsp butter

Procedure 1:
In a double-boiler, combine milk and egg yolks.
Cook, stirring continuously until thick.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla essence and butter.
Set aside.

Ingredients (for MERINGUE):
8 egg whites
1 tsp Cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

Procedure 2:
Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until peak formed.
Add sugar gradually while whisking continuously until stiff but not dry.
Fold in Vanilla.Spread Meringue onto greased, parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Bake at 200°C until brown (approximately 15-20 minutes).
Invert onto another piece of parchment, sprinkle with granulated sugar.
While hot, spread the filling and roll.
Dust top with a bit more sugar.

Cassava Cake

Mga Sangkap (Ingredients):
1 can coconut milk (approximately 200 ml)
1 1/2 lbs grated cassava
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1/4 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon coconut cream

Paraan Ng Pagluluto (Cooking Procedure):
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Beat the eggs until they turn pale yellow color. Add sugar and salt. Keep beating until the mixture is smooth.
2. Combine the grated cassava, the egg mixture and the coconut milk in a bowl. Mix well.
3. Pour this batter into a round, non-stick 9 inch cake pan and bake for 1 hour. Brush the top of the cake with the coconut cream and bake another 10 minutes. The top of the cake should be golden brown.
4. Let the cake cool and serve at room temperature.

Walnut Brownies

Ingredients:
Melted Butter 600 grams
Whole Eggs 16 pieces
Caster Sugar 1500 grams
APF 620 grams
Vanilla Flavor 2 tsp
Baking powder 20 grams
Salt 10 grams
Cocoa Powder 340 grams
Water 150 grams
Chopped Walnuts 400 grams

Procedure:
In a mixing bowl, blend together cold melted butter, sugar, and cocoa powder.
When mixture becomes thick, gradually add eggs vanilla flavor and water. Continue beating
until the mixture becomes smooth.
Add sifted All Purpose Flour, baking powder, and salt. Continue mixing slowly until mixture becomes smooth and creamy.
Pour the mixture in a greased baking pan and bake in a pre-heated oven at
180°C for 40-45 minutes.
When done, let cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Banana Cake

Ingredients:
Butter 540 grams
Dark Brown Sugar 500 grams
Caster Sugar 400 grams
Whole Eggs 8 pieces
Vanilla flavor 1 teaspoon
Ripe Bananas 1 kilogram
All Purpose Flour 1 kilogram
Salt 10 grams
Baking Powder 20 grams

Procedure:
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar (mixed caster and brown sugar) alternately with eggs, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 Tbsp. vanilla.
Now, gradually add ripe bananas until mixture looks fine and creamy.
Finally, add All Purpose Flour slowly together with baking powder and salt.
Continue mixing until the batter looks smooth and creamy.
Put in a prepared greased baking pan and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 35-40 minutes.