Puto Maya and Sikwate

Puto Maya and SikwatePuto maya is steamed glutinous rice flavored with coconut milk and ginger. Mildly sweet with a hint of saltiness, it’s a popular breakfast item in the Visayan region of the Philippines usually paired with sikwate (hot chocolate made from pure cacao and brown sugar) and/or ripe mangoes.

They’re often wrapped in banana leaves and shaped like triangles. Puto maya can be made from plain sticky rice (pilit) or with a combination of black sticky rice (tapol) to give it that speckled look.

You’ll find them sold during early mornings in food stalls in many wet markets all over the region and also in small eateries. But the best way to go is make puto maya at home so you’ll have lots of leftovers to reheat for later.

This puto maya recipe uses a combination of white and purple sticky rice and uses canned coconut milk since I don’t have access to fresh coconut milk.

As for the sikwate, I use pure tableya (round chocolate discs made from toasted pure cacao beans) from Philippines that a good friend has sent over last Christmas.

PUTO MAYA RECIPE:

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:Puto Maya and Sikwate 02
3 cups sweet rice /glutinous rice
¼ cup black sticky rice (other names: purple rice or tapol)
2 cups coconut milk
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sliced ginger
½ tsp salt
2 quarts water for steaming (8 cups)

Tools/Materials You’ll Need:
Steamer
Cooking spoon
Mixing bowl
Knife
Chopping board

Procedure:
1. Soak black glutinous rice in water overnight. It helps soften the grains and makes cooking faster. If you don’t have time to pre-soak, boil the rice in 2 cups water and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. For this recipe, I pre-soak the black rice overnight, hence cutting cooking time by 30 minutes.Puto Maya and Sikwate 032. Rinse black rice with cold water to remove most of the purple color.Puto Maya and Sikwate 043. Rinse white glutinous rice with water to remove impurities.Puto Maya and Sikwate 054. Mix both rice in a mixing bowl.Puto Maya and Sikwate 06 Puto Maya and Sikwate 075. Peel ginger and slice into strips.Puto Maya and Sikwate 086. Add water to steamer and add the steamer basket. You’ll need a steamer with tiny holes, otherwise you need to line the basket with banana leaves or cheese cloth so the rice grains don’t fall through while cooking. The steamer I use has tiny holes so I don’t need a liner.

7. Add the rice and ginger into the steamer. Spread them evenly using a spatula or cooking spoon with a flat end.

Puto Maya and Sikwate 09 Puto Maya and Sikwate 10 Puto Maya and Sikwate 118. Turn on stove and set dial to high. Cover steamer and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to medium low and let it steam for 45 minutes, mixing the rice every 10 minutes or so.Puto Maya and Sikwate 139. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, mix the coconut milk, sugar and salt.Puto Maya and Sikwate 1210. After 45 minutes, sprinkle rice with coconut milk mixture and mix thoroughly until evenly distributed. At this point, the rice is still not done. You’ll know by looking at the white grains. Uncooked grains still looked milky white and still nutty when you bite it. For black rice, you can tell by biting the grain. If your teeth won’t sink in, it still needs further cooking. Check the following photo.

Puto Maya and Sikwate 1511. Cover steamer and continue cooking for additional 30 minutes until rice is al dente ((just cooked, soft to bite but not mushy), mixing every 10 minutes.Puto Maya and Sikwate 1612. Serve with sikwate (hot chocolate), ripe mango, or salted dried fish.DSC_9070Puto Maya and Sikwate 22

HOW TO MAKE SIKWATE:

Cooking Time: 10 minutesPuto Maya and Sikwate 121
Yields: 3 servings

Ingredients:
4 pieces tableya
3 cups water
½ cup brown sugar

Tools/Materials:
1 quart sauce pan
Cooking spoon or whisk

Steps:
1. Bring to a boil 3 cups of water in a sauce pan.

2. Add the tableya and lower the heat to medium low. Use a whisk or cooking spoon to stir and break down the chocolate discs.Puto Maya and Sikwate 18Puto Maya and Sikwate 193. Add brown sugar and keep stirring till there are no more visible clumps.Puto Maya and Sikwate 20Puto Maya and Sikwate 214. Pour into individual cups and serve hot.DSC_9044

Puto Maya and Sikwate
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Filipino
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • Ingredients:
  • (Puto Maya)
  • 3 cups sweet rice /glutinous rice
  • ¼ cup black rice (other names: purple rice or tapol)
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup sliced ginger
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 quarts water for steaming (8 cups)
  • (Sikwate)
  • 4 pieces tableya
  • 3 cups water
  • ½ cup brown sugar
Instructions
  1. Procedure: (PUTO MAYA)
  2. Soak black glutinous rice in water overnight. It helps soften the grains and makes cooking faster. If you don’t have time to pre-soak, boil the rice in 2 cups water and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. For this recipe, I pre-soak the black rice overnight, hence cutting the time in cooking by 30 minutes.
  3. Rinse black rice with cold water to remove most of the purple color.
  4. Rinse white glutinous rice with cold water to remove impurities.
  5. Mix both rice in a mixing bowl.
  6. Peel ginger and slice into strips.
  7. Add water to steamer and add the steamer basket. You’ll need a steamer with tiny holes, otherwise you need to line the basket with banana leaves or cheese cloth so the rice grains don’t fall through while cooking. The steamer I use has tiny holes so I don’t need a liner.
  8. Add the rice and ginger into the steamer. Spread them evenly using a spatula or cooking spoon with a flat end.
  9. Turn on stove and set dial to high. Cover steamer and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to medium low and let it steam for 45 minutes, mixing the rice every 10 minutes or so.
  10. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, mix the coconut milk, sugar and salt.
  11. After 45 minutes, sprinkle rice with coconut milk mixture and mix thoroughly until it’s evenly distributed. At this point, the rice is still not done. You’ll know by looking at the white grains. Uncooked grains still looked milky white and still nutty when you bite it. For black rice, it will be hard to bite. Check the following photo.
  12. Cover steamer and continue cooking for additional 30 minutes until rice is al dente, mixing every 10 minutes (just cooked, soft to bite but not mushy).
  13. Serve with sikwate (hot chocolate), ripe mango, or salted dried fish.
  14. (SIKWATE)
  15. Steps:
  16. Bring to a boil a sauce pan with 3 cups of water.
  17. Add the tableya and lower the heat to medium low. Use a whisk or cooking spoon to stir and break down the chocolate discs.
  18. Add brown sugar and keep stirring till there are no more visible clumps.
  19. Pour into individual cups and serve hot.

17 Comments

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