Puto Bumbong
Puto Bumbong brushed with margarine or butter and topped with grated coconut and muscovado sugar. Ahhh heaven! The subtle taste of the rice along with the coconut and sugar really creates a delicious treat. A delicacy that brings out the Christmas spirit out of everyone!
Puto Bumbong is a street food well known for being the snack of choice after Misa de Gallo. Misa de Gallo or Rooster’s Mass are series of morning masses beginning on the 16th of December. This delicacy is a cylindrical cake of steamed, purple rice. The rice cake is traditionally made of steamed black glutinous rice (puto) called “pirurutong” cooked in bamboo (bumbong) then served with margarine, grated coconut, and palm sugar granules.
Puto bumbong has a slightly sweet, although bland, flavor. The rice is soaked overnight later drained of water then grounded into flour. The rice flour mixture is poured into bamboo tubes, which are only filled up about halfway, wrapped in clothes (so they will not burn hands when handled), and placed on a special steamer. But that’s not the way we’re doing ours. Luckily, I found a way to making this at home even without some of the key elements but still tastes the same. So if you want to try it, let’s get cracking!
You might also like:
- Our refreshing Mango and Nata de Coco
- Mango Sticky Rice
- Palitaw / Dila-Dila
The secret ingredient is always LOVE
Tips for re-heating Puto Bumbong
- If you have any leftover, wrap in plastic and store it in an airtight container. When you reheat them, it’s better to re-steam them. If you’re going to microwave them, cover with a wet paper towel and microwave for only a few seconds at a time until they’re warm enough.
Puto Bumbong
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups glutinous rice flour
- ¾ to 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp ube flavoring
Toppings
- grated coconut
- grated cheese (optional)
- soften butter
- brown sugar
- condensed milk (optional)
Instructions
- Place glutinous rice and ube flavoring in a bowl then gradually add coconut milk until you form a dough. NOTE: Dough should be not too wet and not too dry.
- Place inside the refrigerator and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes. While dough is chilling, cut a 5 pcs. of foil measuring approx. 8 x 4 inches. Then brush with butter to avoid sticking.
- When chilled, grate the dough by using a cheese grater to make into grain-like pieces.
- Scoop about 3 tbsp of the grated dough and place it in the middle of the foil.
- Seal the foil making sure the grated dough inside is packed tightly and is in a tube shape. Finish all of the dough repeating the process.
- Arrange them in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes at medium heat. Remove from steamer and take out from foil.
- Place the contents over a piece of banana leaf. Spread butter all over and then top with freshly grated coconut and muscovado sugar. Bon Appetit!
Owow….this is so good!I made this today and can’t stop eating! easy and simple but delicious! thanks for the recipe!
Hi Jhenny!
Thank you too for trying my recipe. So happy you liked it!
I made it… its delicious! But i have concern , its kind a little bit bitter… i follow the instruction…i used the mc cornick ube extract 1 tbsp… i am wondering what might the cause that it becomes a little bit bitter?
Hi Jane,
I don’t have an idea where the bitterness is coming from since most ingredients have mild sweet taste.
If you don’t mind me asking? Did you check the expiration date like for example the coconut milk or flavoring?
Please let us know. Cheers!
You can try making it the more traditional way with just the rice grains soaked in water then throw in food processor.
Can I make it a day ahead wrapped in foil and keep in the fridge until ready to steam?
Hi Tet,
You can make the puto bumbong mixture a day ahead but don’t wrap in yet in foil and just wrap them when you’re ready to cook.
Hope this helps. Cheers!
Hi, can i store the grated dough overnight? Thank you 🙂
Hi K-Anne,
Yes, but make sure to store it in an airtight container or cling wrap. You can then wrap it in foil the next day for steaming.
I tried your recipes, my wife love it. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Dj Budz,
Thank you for trying our Puto Bumbong recipe and I’m glad that your wife love it.
Happy Holidays and keep safe!
Tried this recipe, it’s sooo good! No need for special equipment. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for trying my recipe and so happy that you like it.
Can i use banana leaves to wrap it instead of foil?
Hi Annie, I haven’t tried it yet since I’m not sure how it will affect the taste and texture when steamed.
Most other online recipes use water and do not use coconut milk. Can I use water only, or would your recipe with coconut milk taste far better than just water?
Hi Catherine,
Using coconut milk gives the puto bumbong a hint of coconut flavor unlike using just water. But it really depends on your preference but I personally like it with coconut milk for additional flavor profile. Hope this helps. Thanks for dropping by.
I made this and the after steaming it, the grated dough merged together. It doesn’t have that grated/separated dough anymore. Any idea what went wrong?
Hi Gel,
How long did you chill the dough before grating? Try chilling it longer next time and work fast after removing from the fridge to keep the grain-like texture after steaming. Hope this helps
What is the main purpose of grating the dough before steaming?
Hi Leonora, Grating the dough gives it a bit of texture and mimics the grains in authentic puto bumbong. You can skip this step if you want. Hope this helps.