Yema Balls

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 egg yolks
• 180 g condensed milk
• 120 g mashed potato
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

SUGAR GLAZE:

• 100 g sugar
• 60 ml water
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

DIRECTIONS:

• Combine all the ingredients and cook in a double boiler, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens - about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool (may be refrigerated for 30 minutes to 1 hour) and roll into 2.5 cm diameter balls. For the sugar glaze, combine the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until syrup is lightly caramelized. Dip the Yema balls into the syrup and set aside to cool before wrapping in colored cellophane paper

Sapin Sapin

Sapin-Sapin Recipe, made from rice flour or rice that has been soaked overnight then crushed into a paste, sometimes yams or yam flour, coconut milk and sugar. Each layer is tinted (the bottom one a deep ube-like purple, the middle a golden yolk yellow,the top one white), and steamed before the next layer is added.

This famous Sapin-Sapin originated from the northern part of the Philippines, the province of Abra. A treat as sumptuous as sapin-sapin is no longer surprising when ways of cooking it is already spread down to other provinces, and thus now being enjoyed by many. Fast foods, cake and pastry shops are making and selling their versions of sapin-sapin.

       Estimated cooking time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

•  1 1/2 cups malagkit dough (galapong)
• 1/2 cup rice galapong
• 2 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 cups cooked ubi (mashed)
• grated coconut
• 4 cups thick coconut cream (from 2-3 coconuts)
• 2 cans (big) condensed milk
• food coloring; violet & egg-yellow

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Blend all ingredients except mashed ubi and food coloring.
• Divide Into 3 Parts: 

To 1st part – add mashed ubi. To heighten the color of the ubi, add a dash of violet food coloring. Mix well.
To 2nd part – add egg-yellow coloring. Mix well.
To 3rd part – just plain white, nothing to add.

• Grease a round baking pan. Line with banana leaves and grease the leaves. Then, pour in ubi mixture. Spread evenly. Steam for 30 minutes or more, until firm. Note: cover the baking pan with cheese cloth before steaming.
• Pour 2nd layer on top of the cooked ubi. Cover again and steam for 30 minutes.
• Lastly, pour in 3rd layer or the plain mixture. Again, steam for 30 minutes or until firm.
• Meanwhile, fry the grated coconut until brown and put on top of the sapin-sapin.
• Cool before slicing.

Ensaymada

INGREDIENTS:
-3 1/2 to 4 teaspoonfuls of yeast
-1/3 cup of lukewarm water
-1 1/2 teaspoonfuls of white sugar
-1/2 cup diluted evaporated milk or undiluted whole milk
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1/4 melted butter
-3 egg yolks
-2 1/2 to 3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour (after measuring sift flour)

Grated mild white or yellow cheese, white sugar, softened butter for top or filling

DIRECTIONS:

-dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and 1 1/2 teaspoonful of white sugar. mix, then set aside until bubbly. mix everything together until well incorporated and smooth. transfer dough into a greased bowl, let rise for one hour, then form into a log, flatten out and fill with cheese and butter (optional), or just coil into a snail shape in a greased pan. if you are making individual cakes, divide the dough in equal pieces, roll into logs and coil or knot and place in greased muffin tins. let rise for another hour, then brush with butter and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 25 minutes or until lightly brown. cool completely, slather with butter, dust with sugar and top with grated cheese, if desired. 

Champorado (Chocolate Rice Pudding)

INGREDIENTS:

-1 cup glutinous (sweet/sticky) rice

-2 1/2 cups water

-1/2 cup (more or less to taste) unsweetened cocoa

-1/2 cup (more or less to taste) sugar

-1/8 tsp. vanilla extract

-some sweetened condensed milk

DIRECTIONS:

-Cook rice in a medium-sized saucepan with 2 1/2 cups water. Stir constantly. When rice is ready (rice should be somewhat transparent), add cocoa, sugar and vanilla. Serve in bowls with swirls of sweet condensed milk on top.

Kutsinta

Kutsinta is a brown rice cake, a favorite snack in the Philippines and is good 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 Asian food stores)

-Freshly grated coconut

DIRECTIONS:

-In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Pour into muffin pans, until halfway full. Steam in a large pan with a cover; the water should be 2 inches deep. Cook for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Add more water if needed until cooking is done.

 Remove from the muffin pans and serve with freshly grated coconut. Serves 4. 

Palitaw

INGREDIENTS:
-Sweet rice flour - about a cup.
-3/4 cup water
-coconut flakes
-Lots of white sugar
-Toasted linga (sesame seeds).

DIRECTIONS:
-Mix rice flour with water to make dough. Make little balls then flatten. Boil water in a saucepan. Drop flattened dough balls into boiling water. The cakes are cooked when they float. Remove from water, let cool a little bit, roll in combined sugar and toasted sesame seeds and coconut flakes.

Ube halaya

INGREDIENTS:

-2 lb ube (purple yam) (you can also buy powdered ube from Asian stores)

-250 g sugar

-1 cup sugar (or as desired)

-1 can condensed milk

-2 cups coconut milk

-butter

DIRECTIONS:

-Boil yam until tender and cut into cubes, then grind in a food processor with sugar and coconut milk (if you have the powdered variety, mix ingredients). Transfer to a sauce pan, add the condensed milk (if starting from fresh) and cook over a low fire, stirring continuously. Continue stirring until the mixture turns into a thick paste and separates from the pan. Transfer to a shallow platter or pan and allow to cool. Serve.