Delicious Rice Cake Recipes for Snack with Hot and Cold Drinks

Rice, especially the glutinous rice variety, is obviously the popular main ingredient in many rice cakes recipes found in most Asian countries. Japan has mochi and daifuku rice cakes. China has pak tong kou rice cakes. Indonesia has kue basah; Malaysia has the ketupat; and Korea has the ddeok, hotteok, and bingsu rice cakes. The Philippines has the following: puto bumbong (Christmas steamed rice cakes), bibingka, (also considered as Christmas rice cake), kalamay, suman, bichi-bichi, biko, sapin-sapin, kutsinta, and many more. The rice crispies formed in cup cakes seemed to have western origin.

Rice cakes are often considered as delicacies as well as everyday snack. They are traditionally offered during birthdays and festive celebrations. Rice cakes are given different colors to look more delicious. They are cooked in many ways: steaming, boiling, frying, grilling, roasting, and even searing. Some are salted and served with meat or shrimp sauce; but most rice cakes are sweet and served with cold or hot beverages.

Note: You will need a food processor to grind the rice. A special type of steamer is also needed. The rice cakes are elongated in form because they are steamed while inside short and thin bamboo pipes.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup glutinous rice
• 2 tsp powder food coloring, purple or violet
• 2 cups water

How To:

Wash several times, then soak glutinous rice overnight. Remove most of the water from rice because ground product is preferred dry for easy handling. Mix the food coloring while grinding. Sift the ground rice through a big-holed strainer to produce coarse rice flour. Put enough amount of rice flour inside the bamboo tubes and steam for about 10 minutes. Serve hot with butter, brown sugar, and freshly grated coconut.

Note: A round dish (similar to pie baking dish) made of clay is needed. Cut wilted banana leaves to line the bottom and side of the dish. When cooking over a grill, a clean iron sheet that carries hot coals is put on top of the clay dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups glutinous rice, finely ground
• 2 cups coconut milk (coconut cream is included)
• 4 pieces eggs, beaten
• 1 cup white sugar
• ¼ cup cheese (optional), sliced into strips
• 2 pieces salted eggs (optional), cut into 6 wedges

How To:

Wash and soak glutinous rice overnight. Change the water but add enough to get a fine-textured and thick rice batter. Mix sugar and eggs, add coconut milk and rice batter. Combine well. Pour into leaf-lined dish and bake the pre-heated oven (375 degrees F). When half-cooked, decorate the top of rice cake with cheese strips and egg edges. Gently push each piece into the cake if desired as filling, rather than as garnishing. Spread butter on top right after cooking. Best when serve with hot ginger tea.

Puto, sometimes called ‘rice muffins’, are either steamed or baked. Traditional recipe always prefers rice flour or fine and semi-thick batter. Rice used is not the glutinous variety.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rice flour
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups coconut milk (and cream)
• Food coloring (only when desired)

How To:

Sift rice flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar through a sieve. Add coconut milk and mix well. Pour batter into greased or banana leaf-lined muffin pans, about two-third full. Steam for 30 minutes or until cooked. To test, insert toothpick into a muffin. Toothpick comes out clean when cooking is done. Top with melting butter on top and/or fresh coconut flakes.

One of the easiestrice cake recipesto cook. Only banana leaves, some strings, and boiler pot are materials needed.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups glutinous rice, washed and and soaked for 1 hour
• 2 Tbsp lye water (called ‘lihiya’ in Filipino)

How To:

Wash soaked rice one more time and place in a strainer to drain well. Mix lye water until greenish color is well distributed. Wilt banana leaves over stove for easy handling. Wrap 1-2 Tbsp of rice and fold each end. A couple is often tied together with a piece of string on both ends. Place in a steamer and boil over low heat for 30 minutes or until cooked. Serve with sweetened coconut sauce or fresh coconut flakes with sugar and roasted sesame seeds.