How to Make Bibingka (Rice Cake)

Bibingka are the most sought after delicacies at Christmas time. During the simbang gabi or the Christmas Eve mass, people would line up to their favorite stalls outside the church just to have a taste of this favorite Pinoy delicacies.

A. Making Bibingka

In preparing bibingka, remember that the cooking process is divided into two parts: preparing the batter and cooking the bibingka itself.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup refined sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup thick coconut milk

Utensils:

• mixing bowl
• wooden ladle

Procedure

1. Soak one cup of rice in one cup of water overnight.
2. Drain water from the soaked rice. Produce rice flour by grinding the rice softened by soaking, in a rice grinder. If you don't have a grinder, you can have the rice ground in the public market. Any stall selling galapong will have a rice grinder.
3. Once the rice flour is ready, mix it with sugar.
4. Add baking powder, melted butter, beaten eggs and thick coconut milk to the rice flour mixture.
5. Mix the rice flour mixture thoroughly. This will serve as the bibingka batter.

B. Cooking Bibingka

Ingredients:

• bibingka batter
• 4-5 salted eggs
• 1 packet white cheese
• grated coconut
• butter

Utensils:

• mixing bowl
• ladle or deep-cupped spoon
• a pair of tongs
• rice caked mold (hulmahan)
• stove
• improvised basin for live coals
• firewood coals
• banana leaves
• turner for frying or toasting
• measuring cup

Procedure

1. Put some coal in the improvised basin made of a piece of G.I. sheet or tin. Make the coals red hot. Set aside first.
2. Line the rice cake mold in a piece of banana leaf.
3. Put one cup of rice batter into the mold.
4. Arrange a few pieces of the sliced salted eggs and sprinkle a little amount of white cheese on top of the batter in the bibingka mold.
5. Put the mold with batter over a stove with live coals and place the improvised tin basin with live, red hot coal over the mold containing the rice cake batter. The rice cake should be cooked in this manner: with live coals under and over the mold containing it.
6. Cook for 10 minutes or until the upper skin or the batter turns golden brown.
7. Once cooked remove bibingka from the stove and transfer bibingka on a plate.
8. Serve bibingka with grated coconut on the side.
9. This recipe makes 2-4 whole medium-sized bibingka or rice cake.

source: tlrc.gov.ph, photo from flickr.com