Puto is a famous traditional snack from the Philippines. It is a sweet steamed rice cake traditionally made from slightly fermented dough. I have been wanting to do it for a while but was worried that I might fail. But this week, I finally gathered my courage and tried it out. Turns out, I was quite pleased with the results.

So these are the things you need to make the Dough: rice flour, distilled water and a clean covered clear jar. I started the fermentation last Monday night ( May 20). Weigh out 10g of rice flour and 10g of water, put it into the jar, mix thoroughly, then cover the jar. Leave it overnight at room temperature which is about 25-27 degree celsius.

The next morning which for me was Tuesday May 21, about 12 hours after the last time you made the paste. Add another 20g rice flour and 20g water, mixed thoroughly with the paste. This is called ‘feeding, and it helps to make the yeast stronger’. Cover and set aside at room temperature 25-27 degree celsius.

At night, after 12 hours from the last feeding, I discarded half of the mixture, leaving only 30g. Discarding is to limit the quantity of your paste unless you intend to make a huge batch. Now with this 30g, add 30g of rice flour and 30g of water. Mix thoroughly then set aside and leave it overnight at room temperature at 25-27 degree celsius.

The following morning which was Wednesday May 22, you should see visible signs of fermentation, like bubbles. Look at the sides of your jar, you should also be able to see a few bubbles. Feed the fermented paste with 90g water and 90g rice flour. You should end up with a total of 270g. As you mix, you can begin to feel that the paste becomes sort of airy. After 8 hours you should be able to see more bubbles, especially when you look at the sides of the jar. It may not rise too much as the yeast are not very active yet, however it has sufficient strength to make Puto. Now it is time to prepare the ingredients!

Ingredients

• 230g Fermented Rice Flour mixture
• 10g double acting baking powder
• 45g fine Sugar
• 2g coconut extract

Mix all the ingredients gently using a whisk. You have to preserve as much of the air in the batter. Transfer the mixture to oiled tins. Use coconut oil. Then steam immediately on high heat.

My tins are a bit tall, so the steaming time was about 25 minutes. Please adjust accordingly if you’re using smaller tins. You can use a skewer to poke a hole through the center and check if it comes out clean. This means that the Puto is ready. At the last 5 minutes of steaming you may want to add slices of cheese on top.

Hope you will enjoy the recipe! Hasta La Vista.