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Puto bumbong
Purple sticky rice tubes
Puto bumbong: steamed purple sticky rice with butter, muscovado and coconut
During the nine dawn masses of Simbang Gabi, from 16 to 24 December, vendors outside churches across Luzon steam puto bumbong in bamboo tubes over hissing kettles. The violet logs of ground purple and white glutinous rice are slid onto banana leaf, slathered with butter or margarine and showered with muscovado sugar and grated coconut, then eaten warm in the cold morning air. At home, small heatproof moulds or rolls of banana leaf stand in for the bamboo. Chef's tip: the ground rice must feel like damp sand, not batter; wet dough steams into a heavy paste instead of a loose, fluffy log.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the rice
- 5 ½ oz purple or black glutinous ricesoaked overnight
- 5 ½ oz glutinous ricesoaked overnight
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 banana leaveswilted, cut into 15 × 20 cm pieces
To serve
- 2 ⅛ oz buttersoftened
- 2 ⅞ oz muscovado sugar
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 5 ½ oz purple or black glutinous rice and 5 ½ oz glutinous rice and blend with just 3–4 tablespoons of water into a fine, thick paste.
5 minStep 2: Tip the paste into a muslin-lined sieve over a bowl, fold the cloth over and weigh it down with a heavy pan for 2–3 hours (or overnight in the fridge), until it is crumbly and damp like wet sand.
5 minStep 3: Rub ¼ tsp salt through the rice and push it through a coarse sieve so it is loose and fluffy.
5 minStep 4: Roll each piece of 3 banana leaves into a 3 cm-wide tube, secure with string or a toothpick, and spoon the rice in loosely without packing. Stand the tubes upright in a steamer.
15 minStep 5: Steam over a rolling boil for 15–20 minutes, until the rice has turned deep violet, swollen and set into soft, slightly sticky logs.
18 minStep 6: Slide the logs out onto a leaf, spread with 2 ⅛ oz butter, sprinkle with 2 ⅞ oz muscovado sugar and top with 4 oz fresh or frozen grated coconut. Serve warm.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does puto bumbong take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of purple or black glutinous rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of glutinous rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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