Kutsinta (Glutinous Rice Flour Cakes)

Kutsinta is an old favorite in the Philippines along with "Puto" (rice cakes). I have long been ambitioning to make this recipe but could not find any lye water sold here in Singapore (or, i just don't know where to find this ingredient). Luckily, my cousin-in-law went back to Philippines and brought back some lye water and plastic moulds for us to use. And so it goes, this is our first episode of "kutsinta". Enjoy!

This recipe is derived from Reynaldo Alejandro's,book, "Authentic Recipes from the Philippines". I have reduced the original recipe into half, serving about 24 pieces.


Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour
3/4 cup brwon sugar ( or 1 cup if you want it sweeter)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp lye water
pinch of red coloring (if desired)

1. Mix rice flour and water. Add sugar and lye water into the flour mixture until well blended. Add a little coloring.
2. Spoon the mixture on small muffin pans or plastic moulds, 3/4 full.
3. Steam for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the rice cake comes out clean. Add more water if needed until the rice cakes are firm and fully cooked.
4. Remove from the molds. Serve with fresh grated coconut.