Kamil Perry
Puto is a Filipino steamed rice cake, traditionally made from slightly fermented rice dough (galapong). It is eaten as a snack or as an accompaniment to savoury dishes such as dinuguan (pork blood stew) or pancit (rice noodles). Puto is also an umbrella term for various kinds of indigenous steamed cakes, including those made without rice. The traditional puto made with galapong is sometimes referred to as putong puti (white puto) or putong bigas (rice puto). Cheese puto is a variety of puto that is soft, fluffy, and extra delicious with pockets of cheese.
Characteristics and Values of Puto Cheese
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type | Filipino steamed rice cake |
| Texture | Soft, fluffy, moist, sticky, dry, crumbly, smooth |
| Taste | Sweet, savoury, salty |
| Ingredients | Rice, water, sugar, flour, yeast, baking powder, milk, egg, butter, vanilla extract, cheese, coconut milk, salt |
| Toppings | Cheese, salted eggs, kesong puti, processed cheese, ham, bacon, margarine, meat, coconut, butter, moscovado sugar |
| Cooking Method | Steaming |
| Cooking Time | 8-45 minutes |
| Calories | 131 kcal |
| Shelf Life | Up to 3 days in the refrigerator |
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What You'll Learn
Puto Cheese Recipe
Puto is a Filipino steamed rice cake delicacy, usually eaten as a snack. It is often served alongside savoury dishes like dinuguan (pork blood stew) or pancit (rice noodle). The traditional puto is made from rice, water, and sugar, which is stone-ground to make the batter, or galapong. The batter is usually fermented overnight before steaming. However, this cheese puto recipe uses all-purpose flour instead of rice.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 egg
- Milk
- Water
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
- Grated/shredded cheese (cheddar is a popular choice)
Method:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder.
- Add the egg and milk and mix using a whisk or electric mixer at medium speed until the batter becomes smooth.
- Add the water, butter, and vanilla extract and mix well for a minute or two.
- Add the grated cheese and fold it in slowly using a spatula or spoon.
- Grease each mould with butter and fill them with batter up to 3/4 full.
- Fill the bottom of the steamer with water and bring it to a gentle simmer over very low heat.
- Place the moulds in the steamer basket and steam for about 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Remove the lid and add a strip of cheese on top of each puto.
- Steam for another minute or two until the cheese melts.
- Turn off the heat and let the puto cool down slightly before serving.
You can also experiment with different toppings and flavourings such as pandan or ube extracts, salted eggs, kesong puti, processed cheese, ham, or crisp-cooked bacon.
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Puto as a Filipino Delicacy
Puto is a Filipino delicacy, a steamed rice cake traditionally made from slightly fermented rice dough, known as galapong. The rice is soaked overnight to allow it to ferment slightly, and yeast may be added to aid this process. It is then ground into a soft dough, which is usually fermented overnight again before being steamed. The dough can be steamed as a whole loaf or in individual portions, and the vessel is often lined with banana leaves to impart a subtle fragrance.
Puto is a type of kakanin (rice cake) and is a gluten-free food, despite its use of rice flour. It has a soft, fluffy texture, similar to a muffin, and is subtly sweet. It is often eaten as a snack or dessert and is delicious with hot coffee or ice-cold samalamig. It can also be served as a side to savoury dishes, such as dinuguan (pork blood stew) or pancit (rice noodles).
There are many variations of puto, with some using all-purpose flour instead of rice flour, and modern recipes incorporating non-traditional ingredients like ube (purple yam), vanilla, or chocolate. One popular variant is puto bumbong, made with a special variety of sticky or glutinous rice called pirurutong, which has a purple colour. This variety is often served during the Christmas period in the Philippines. Another is puto pao, which combines siopao (a meat-filled bun) with puto, using spiced meat as a filling.
Cheese puto is a popular variety, with pockets of cheese and slices of cheese on top. This variety is made with flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract, in addition to the cheese. It is steamed and served warm, with the residual heat melting the cheese topping.
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Puto Toppings
Puto is a Filipino steamed rice cake, traditionally made from slightly fermented rice dough and served as a dessert or side dish. It is a versatile dish that can be served with both sweet and savoury toppings. Here are some topping ideas for puto:
Cheese
Cheese is a popular topping for puto, with various types of cheese used, such as cheddar, processed cheese, quickmelt cheese, and Emmental cheese. The cheese can be grated, shredded, or sliced, and is typically added towards the end of the cooking process so that it melts on top of the puto.
Salted Egg
Salted egg is another common topping for puto, especially when paired with cheese. It adds a savoury note to the slightly sweet rice cakes.
Shredded Coconut
Shredded coconut is often used as a topping for puto, especially for the variety known as puto bumbong. It is typically mixed with moscovado sugar to balance the sweetness of the coconut.
Meat
While puto is typically a vegetarian dish, some variations include meat fillings or toppings, such as ham, crisp-cooked bacon, or spiced meat fillings like Pork or Chicken Asado. This combination of sweet and savoury flavours is popular among Filipinos.
Butter
Butter or margarine is sometimes used as a topping for puto, especially for the puto bumbong variety. It adds a rich, creamy dimension to the dish.
Other Toppings
Other toppings and variations for puto include leche flan (custard), ube (purple yam), pandan, and anise. Puto can also be infused with food colouring to create a colourful platter, or stuffed with meat to create puto-pao.
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Puto Variants
Puto is a Filipino steamed rice cake, traditionally made from slightly fermented rice dough. It is an umbrella term for various kinds of indigenous steamed cakes, including those made without rice. The most common shape of the puto is round, and it is usually topped with cheese or salted egg.
Puto Manapla
This variant is specifically flavoured with anise and lined with banana leaves. It originates from the municipality of Manapla and uses tuba as its leavening agent, giving it a unique flavour.
Puto Maya
Popular in Cebuano-speaking regions of the Philippines, puto maya is made from glutinous rice (usually purple glutinous rice) soaked in water, drained, and then steamed. The rice is then combined with coconut milk, salt, sugar, and ginger juice and returned to the steamer. It is traditionally served as small patties early in the morning with sikwate (hot chocolate) and ripe sweet mangoes.
Puto Pandan
This variant of puto is cooked with a knot of pandan leaves, which imparts additional fragrance and a light green colour.
Puto Pao
A combination of siopao (a meat-filled bun) and puto, puto pao has a meat filling, usually pork asado, resembling asado siopao.
Puto Seko (or Seco)
Also known as puto seko, this variant is a type of powdery cookie or shortbread made from rice flour. The name means "dry puto" in Spanish, and it is baked rather than steamed.
Puto Mamon
Puto mamon has a sponge cake-like consistency and is made with a puto mixture that has no rice. It combines egg yolks, salt, sugar, milk, water, flour, and beaten egg whites, which are folded into the mixture before being steamed in muffin cups.
Puto Bumbong
Made from glutinous rice, puto bumbong is a Christmas puto cooked in a bamboo steamer and usually served during the holiday season.
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Puto Cooking Techniques
Puto is a Filipino steamed rice cake, traditionally made from slightly fermented rice dough (galapong). It is eaten as a snack or as an accompaniment to savoury dishes. The traditional puto made with galapong is sometimes referred to as putong puti ("white puto") or putong bigas ("rice puto").
Ingredients
Puto is traditionally made with rice flour, but all-purpose flour can also be used. Other ingredients include sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and of course, cheese.
Preparation
The rice used in traditional puto is soaked overnight to allow it to ferment slightly. It is then ground into a soft dough called galapong. The fermentation of the rice acts as a leavening agent, but yeast or baking powder can also be added to help the cake rise.
Cooking
Puto is cooked by steaming. The steaming vessel is usually lined with banana leaves to impart aroma. The batter can be steamed as a whole loaf or in individual portions using cupcake molds or other types of molds. It is important to use low heat when steaming puto to ensure even cooking and a smooth dome shape.
Toppings and Variations
Puto can be topped with cheese, butter, margarine, salted eggs, grated coconut, or meat. Modern variants may also include non-traditional ingredients like ube (purple yam), vanilla, or chocolate. Different regions in the Philippines have their own variations of puto, such as puto bumbong, puto Calasiao, and puto pao.
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Frequently asked questions
Puto is a Filipino steamed rice cake, traditionally made from slightly fermented rice dough (galapong). Puto cheese is a variant of puto that includes cheese.
Puto is described as soft, moist, and fluffy, with a subtle sweetness.
Puto is typically steamed in cupcake molds, resulting in a dome shape.
Puto is made by first soaking rice in water overnight to allow it to ferment slightly. The rice is then ground into a dough called galapong. The dough is then steamed, either as whole loaves or individual portions. Cheese is added to the top of the puto after steaming, allowing the residual heat to melt the cheese.
