BIKO ( Black Rice Pudding )

What is the difference between Biko and Bibingka? Based from my research online and my childhood recollections, Biko is a Filipino dessert recipe  made from glutinous rice (usually combination of black rice and white sweet rice) and it is topped with Latik ( fried coconut milk curd ). While bibingkang malagkit is made from white glutinous rice and topped with caramelized sugar and coconut cream. Filipinos  are welcome to differ on this.   

On the other hand this Black Sticky rice recipe is also called Rice Pudding cake (Kao Niew Dum Maprow)  in Thailand. You can make a lot of variation on cooking Black rice. I like it because of the distinct color and like sweet rice, it always tastes good when combined with coconut milk and sugar.

Ingredients:

1-½  cup glutinous or sweet rice
1 cup black rice
1 cup brown sugar
1- 14 oz coconut milk
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups of water
latik ( fried coconut milk curd, recipe below)

Cooking Directions:

• Wash black rice 2-3 times and soak it  in water overnight.
• Wash the sweet rice 2-3 times. Drain water for both rice. Combine and mix well. 
• In a rice cooker or steamer, add 2 cups of water, add the rice and cook same way you are cooking rice.
• Bring the coconut milk to boil. Add the brown sugar and salt.
• Add the cooked rice and under low heat  keep on stirring until thickened.
• Place in a buttered Pyrex dish, spread the rice mixture on the baking pan or Pyrex.
• Broil for 5-6 minutes. Divide it into squares like brownies. Top it with the Latik ( curdled coconut cream).
• Let it cool for few minutes. Serve and enjoy !

Recipe for the Latik Video:

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Thai Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango

Sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and garnished with ripe mango is a traditional Thai dessert. This Thai Sticky Rice ( Kow Neuw Mamuang) recipe is very easy to make. The ingredients are easy to find and easy to remember. I call this 5  Ingredients Fix . You will need coconut milk, sticky rice , sugar and salt. Garnished with ripe mango.  That's it.

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk
1 cup sweet sticky rice

2-3  tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
ripe mango

Cooking Directions:

• Rinse rice once or twice. Soak the sticky rice in enough amount of water to cover rice for at least an hour or even overnight.
• Prepare steamer, put enough water in the bottom and cover the steam section with cheese cloth or muslin cloth. Pour sticky rice on the cheesecloth, cover with lid and steam for about 20 minutes or until the rice is translucent.
• In a medium sauce pan, bring coconut milk to simmer.
• Add sugar and salt. Mix well.
• Remove mixture from heat. Pour ¾ of the warm mixture over the cooked sticky rice. Let it sit for 5  minutes. Allow time for the sticky rice to absorb the coconut mixture.
• Serve with slices of  ripe mango. Pour remaining coconut mixture over rice. Enjoy !

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Suman Sa Gata ( Sticky Coconut Rice )

Suman is a Filipino steamed cake wrapped in banana leaves or coconut leaves. It can be made from sticky rice, grain or root. The variations of this rice pastry depends on each region in the Philippines. Suman is considered one of the oldest and most popular Filipino snacks or dessert.It became a traditional Noche Buena meal and holidays or parties especialty. This recipe is adapted from the The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook, with a little bit of adjustment with the ratio.

Ingredients :

• 3 cups sweet rice ( available on Asian store abroad )
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• fresh or frozen (thawed ) banana leaves
  

Cooking Instructions :

1. Rinse the sweet rice 2-3 times. Drain.
2. Using a 14- inch wok or 4 - quart heavy bottomed pot, combine all the ingredients except the banana leaves.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to medium. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring constantly especially during the last 15 minutes of cooking. You don’t want rice to stick to the bottom of the pan and scorch. Reduce heat if rice mixture starts to burn at any point.
4. After about 20 minutes, expect the oil from the coconut milk to separate from rice mixture and coat wok with a thin film. The rice mixture will pull away easily from the sides of the pan. When done, rice mixture is shiny, almost dry and very sticky, like risotto. Let cool in the wok.
5. Wipe away any white residue on leaves with a damp cloth. Remove spine and trim to 4- by 7-inch rectangles with the longer edge going along the grain.

6. Place a banana leaf rectangle on a dry work surface with the smooth, matt side up (the shiny side has faint ridges) and longer edge parallel to your body. Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice mixture in the middle of the leaf. Mold rice into a mound about 4- by 1 1/2-inches.


Take the leaf edge closest to you and fold it over rice. Using both sets of fingers, tuck leaf edge under the rice and roll to enclose filling completely. Roll as tightly as possible into a compact cylinder. With the seam-side down, smooth your fingers across the cylinder to gently flatten and fold both ends under to form a snug packet. Place seam-side down directly in a steamer basket. Repeat until rice mixture is finished, layering packets neatly in a single layer and one on top of the other if necessary.

 7. Fill steamer (bamboo steamer)  bottom with a generous amount of water, about 2 to 3 inches, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Place basket with rice rolls above. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You should see steam escaping from underneath the lid.

8. Let it cool. Unwrapped the banana leaves and Enjoy! *********

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