Hello, hivers all around the world! Another sweet delicacy I've prepared for you that is known in our place.
What is Biko, and what's with the name Biko?
It is a sweet delicacy and a popular and beloved Filipino dessert or snack, often served during celebrations and fiestas. It features glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk and brown sugar, resulting in a rich, caramelised flavour and sticky texture. Like other rice cakes, this is referred to as "kakanin", derived from the word "kanin", which means rice. Biko takes its name from the coffee-coloured, sweet coconut curd that gives it its distinctive flavour. Biko is known by different names in certain regions of the Philippines, such as "sinukmani" in the Quezon province and "inkiwar" in the Ilocano region.
Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+biko&sca_esv=dcc0ce3d0aae17fc&sxsrf
Now, let's dig into the preparation and the procedure.
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 kilos of glutinous rice (malagkit)
1 cup tapol rice/purple glutinous rice (optional)
8 cups coconut milk
1/2 kilo of brown sugar
1/4 kilo muscovado sugar
a pinch of salt
banana leaves (optional)
PROCEDURE
Wash the glutinous rice and the tapol rice together in a casserole/pot twice. Then add enough water to cook it. Enough water is needed; this is to avoid the rice being fully cooked.
While waiting to cook, I used warm water to squeeze the coconut meat to extract milk and strained it to produce 8 cups.
After the rice has been cooked, add the coconut milk to a pan and bring to a boil. Once it has reached the boiling point, reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to stir until the mixture begins to caramelize. Then remove half of the syrup from the pan, then pour in the muscovado sugar and brown sugar. Next, pour in the cooked rice and stir it gradually to combine the mixture. (My father helped me with this because I can't do it alone as a first-timer on this recipe.) hehe
Cook on low heat for an additional 10 minutes, stirring continuously to combine the two mixtures. Then, cover it with the banana leaves.
After 10 minutes, I transfer the mixture to a serving pan, then flatten it, and once cooled, cut the Biko into squares or diamonds. Finish by pouring the remaining syrup that we put aside on top of the rice.
Serve, and it's ready to eat. Trust me, you can resist this kind of snack.
Our method for making glutinous rice cake is a cherished family tradition passed down from my father. To challenge myself, I'm thinking of trying some alternative approaches.
Anyways, thank you for dropping by and reading my recipe.
Photos are taken originally by me, and some are edited by Canva.
