Kutsinta

Kutsinta is one famous kakanin (local dessert) in the Philippines. My Mama would always bring home different kinds of kakanin for us after visiting the palengke (fish market) every Sunday.

The result of my first kutsinta was not perfect, it tastes good but it was a bit hard. Texture should be soft and firm. Friends who got to taste my first batch suggested to cook it at a lesser time (first batch was steamed for almost an hour).

My mom's bestfriend uses the plastic mold in making Kutsinta but Mama refused to let me use those and instead sent me muffin like tin cans similar to what she was using. Btw, see that stain on the second photo of my steamer made me sad because I just spent 1 hour scrubbing the whole oven.

Above photo is my attempt to be creative. I even used C's D80 to learn basic photography for an upcoming class. I spent more than hour editing photos in picnik a much more simply program compared to photoshop.

Finished cooking the whole batch  for 1 hour and 30 minutes and all the time V was dreaming. The recipe yielded 24 kutsinta.

Lye water is one of the main ingredient, if you search around some sites would say that if not properly use it could be poisonous. I grew up eating Kutsinta with lye water and I didn't get sick. But if you would want to try making one without using lye The Aubergine Chef substitute lye water with baked baking soda.

Kutsinta
1 1/2 cup Rice Flour
1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1 cup Brown Sugar
3 cups Water
1/4 cup Milk
1 1/2 tsp Lye Water
1 tsp Anatto Powder
Grated coconut

Boil water for the steamer.
In a mixing bowl sift all dry ingredients. Combine water and milk on a separate bowl. While mixing the dry ingredients slowly add water milk mixture until all ingredients are completely distributed and lump free. Add lye water then continue mixing. Half-fill small muffin pans. Steam for 10-20 minutes. Serve kutsinta with grated coconut.

Enjoy your kutsinta with a cup of brewed coffee or tea. It really is important to serve this yummy treat with fresh grated coconut.

Now I have to go back and scrub my muffin cups.