#267_My New Puto Bumbong Steamer

I bought this puto bumbong steamer around Christmas time

so I considered it as a Christmas present to myself.

People always talk about Puto bumbong around Christmas time, even Leah Salonga mentions "puto bumbong" in one of her Christmas songs. I came from Pangasinan which is considered the puto capital of the Philippines, (if there's such a thing), but unfortunately Puto Bumbong is not one of the many Puto varieties people make in that province. I've never sampled it in my whole entire life, so whenever i hear the word "Puto Bumbong", I wonder how it tastes like and how it's made, but never had any desire to learn how to make it until I purchased this odd-looking gadget. Although I didn't have a single clue on how to make it, I knew I can find out through the cyberspace and gosh, was I right! There's plenty of sources floating around out there.

I saw this particular recipe and procedure from YouTube

Soak 1 cup black rice and 2 cups glutinous rice in water with salt overnight then grind in a blender. Drain liquid using a cheesecloth.

this is how it looks after liquid has been extracted from the ground rice, the mixture became a solid mass.

to break them up, pass the mixture, little at a time, through a sieve or a grater.

The result will be this dry, powdery rice mixture called "galapong".
Ready to make the Puto Bumbong.

I followed all the instructions on how to use the steamer, wrapping the bamboo tubes or "bumbong" with some cloth to protect my fingers from getting burned, then I anxiously filled them with the "galapong". The water in the steamer was steaming. I turned the heat down so the water will just be gently boiling, I was ready!!! I then put the bamboo tubes in place.....anxiety, anxiety, yup my anxiety was building up!! Then something went awry: water leaked from around the seams of the steamer!!! water was all over the stove top. But in spite of the water leaking out from the steamer I was so determined to continued to steam the puto, wiping off the water on the stove as water kept coming out. From the instructions I got, the puto is supposed to steam in just a few minutes, but 15 minutes went by, then 30 minutes... only one tube produced a tiny steamed puto. I took this tiny puto onto a waiting piece of banana leaf sitting on the counter, slathered it with some butter as per instruction, and then sprinkled some grated coconuts and turbenado sugar.

I was not impressed by the taste at all. The puto itself was bland. No wonder from the video I watched on YouTube, the makers had to put all of those toppings on them.

At least now,I know how Puto Bumbong is made.

#265_Ube Mochico Bibingka

Here's another super easy recipe idea...
very similar to the Mochico Bibingka recipe #53 click here,
with the addition of Ube Powder.

Ingredients:
1 lb. glutinous rice flour (mochico is a brand)
1 can coconut cream
1 cup sugar
1 packet ube powder (purple yam powder)
1-1/2 cup water
1 jar macapuno
3 eggs, slightly beaten

Mix everything together then pour in a 9x13 greased baking pan and bake for 1 hour in a 350 degrees oven. If using non-stick or glass pan, bake in 325 degrees oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Let cool before slicing.
ENJOY!!

Note from MaMely:
When I made this batch I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup, (sometimes I'm concerned about my sugar intake) but it was not a good idea, so I sprinkled some turbinado sugar on top of the baked bibingka and returned it in the oven to broil for a few minutes. I suggest to use the whole cup of sugar and not sprinkle sugar on top.

#264_Mango Upside Down Cake

Mango Upside Down Cake

I had used white cake mix out of the box to make this cake before I perfected making chiffon cake. The difference is huge not only in flavor, but also in texture. So if you want a quality upside down cake I highly recommend using any chiffon cake recipe you are already comfortable making, but if you don't have a recipe yet, here's a tried and true one: #210_Orange Chiffon Cake, click here.

Please don't be alarmed by the length of the recipe as I was. When I first saw the recipe from joyofbaking.com I thought it was too complicated so I didn't try making it for a while, then one day I got braved and decided to give it a try. It came out good the very first time. The second time I made it, the middle of the cake caved in. I know, it was discouraging, but because I knew how it turned out the first time, that experience didn't stop me from trying it again. The next hundred times after that were good. The only challenge in making chiffon cake is making meringue, which is quite tricky and requires a little practice, so don't give up if it didn't turn out good the first time; read up on making meringue if you're making it the very first time. Once perfected that process, making chiffon cake becomes easier.

This recipe makes three 8-inch round cakes or if you just want to make one or two of these, use the remaining batter to make Mamon, click here for the recipe,
Crema de Fruta or other cakes.

For 3 cakes using 8 inch round pans:

1/2 sticks butter per pan, melted
1/2 cups dark brown sugar per pan
2 fresh mangoes per pan, sliced or diced (or more, the better)
1 recipe of Orange Chiffon Cake, (click here for the recipe)

Pour melted butter in pans and evenly spread sugar over butter. Arrange sliced mangoes on top of sugar then pour the chiffon cake batter evenly between the 3 pans. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven for about 25-35 minutes or until cake is done.
To check if cake is done, insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, then it is done. Avoid over baking it.
Let cake cool completely before inverting them onto serving plates.

Note from MaMely:If you want thicker cake, you can use two 9-inch pans, 3 inches high, or you can experiment with different pan sizes.

#263_Melting Moments Cookies with a Twist

Almond Melting Moments Cookies

These cookies live up to their name as they literally melt in your mouth.
They are super easy to make and the recipe calls for just a few ingredients.
I got the recipe from my favorite site,
http://www.joyofbaking.com/MeltingMoments.html

In the original recipe, each cookie is rolled in powdered sugar. I omitted that procedure, instead I topped each cookie with a slice of almond.

Here's how I did it:

After mixing the dough, I formed them into 1 inch balls.

While the dough was still soft, I made slight indentations on each cookie
then placed a slice of almond on top.
I put them in the fridge for at least 3o minutes before
baking them in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven for 12 minutes.

Let them cool on wire racks.
Enjoy!!

Note from MaMely:
You can substitute almond extract for the vanilla extract, but use a little less.