Puto Bumbong and Bibingka

SIMBANG GABI is one of the longest and most popular among the Filipino traditions in the country. It is when Catholic churches across the nation start to open their doors shortly before the break of dawn to welcome the faithful to the Simbang Gabi mass. Simbang Gabi or Mass at Dawn is a nine-day novena to the Blessed Mother. The novena begins December 16 as early as 4 in the morning and culminates with the “Misa de Gallo” on Christmas Eve to welcome the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. In some churches, the panuluyan is reenacted showing the effort of Joseph and Mary to find a suitable birthplace.

The changing of times does not break the preservation of celebrating Simbang Gabi although it is celebrated in new ways. Still, the tradition of Simbang Gabi continues. Part of it are the colorful lights and lanterns that fill every streets. Beautiful parols are hung in every window. Songs of the season are played everywhere to warm the hearts. Families, friends and even individuals find its way going to the nearest church to attend the nine-day novena. Shortly after the misa de gallo, families gather in their homes to celebrate Noche Buena and feasted on various delicacies like queso de bola, bibingka, puto bungbong, or a drink of salabat or hot chocolate.

Simbang Gabi is just a month away so better start honing your cooking skills with 2 of the popular recipes during this season. Puto Bumbong and Bibingka

PUTO BUMBONG #1

Ingredients

- Five (5) kilograms of glutinous rice
- One (1) cup ordinary rice
- One (1) tablespoon of food coloring (Lilac)
- One (1) kilo of freshly grated matured coconut
- Margarine
- Sugar

Procedure:

Mix glutinous rice, ordinary rice and food coloring. Soak in water for four hours. Slowly grind using a stone grinder or manual grinder. Be sure not to put too much water in while grinding, this will delay drying of milled ingredients. Too much water will cause the mixture to be sticky. Put milled ingredients onto cotton cloth. Tie corners of the cloth. Let it drip. When the mixture is almost dried, press it using a heavy object to remove excess water. Let stand overnight.

Remove the milled ingredients from the cloth. Place it on finely woven cotton cloth. Mix and crush the milled ingredients using your hand until the finest particles pass through the cotton and fall into a container. Collect the particles.

Boil water using the steamer. Cover it with custom-made-cover with nozzles big enough to fit bamboo tubes or metal cylinders. Cover the nozzles with cotton cloth.

Grease cylinders with margarine then half-fill cylinders with milled ingredients. Cover the other end of the cylinder with cotton cloth. Fit the opposite end into the nozzle. Steam will come out of the cylinder when it is cooked. Before removing Puto Bumbong from the cylinder, invert position to ensure proper cooking.

To remove Puto bumbong from the cylinder, hold it in a vertical position and gently tap it out over a plate.

Put sugar and freshly grated coconut as toppings. Best when served hot with ginger tea.

PUTO BUMBONG #2

Ingredients:

1 cup malagkit (glutinous) rice
6 tablespoon of pirurutong (black rice)
4 cups of water
Mature coconut, shredded
Margarine
Sugar

Instructions:

Wash the malagkit and pirurutong, then soak in water for 3-4 hours.
Then grind the rice. Let it dry on a strainer.

Soak the bumbong/(Slender Bamboo) in oil and scatter with shredded mature coconut. Fill ¾ of the bumbong with the grind rice and put it on a steamer. Let it cook.

Then remove the puto on the bumbong, apply margarine, coconut and sugar. Serve.


PUTO BUMBONG #3

Ingredients

- 1 Kilogram malagkit (glutinous) rice, mixed with
- 125 grams ordinary rice
- 1 pc mature coconut, shredded
- butter or margarine
- violet food coloring
- banana leaves
- water
- salt
- sugar

* Soak malagkit and ordinary rice mixture in salted water with violet food coloring for 1 hour.
* Let dry overnight by putting inside a flour sack.
* Put something heavy on top to squeeze out water.
* Mixture is ready for cooking the following morning.
* Heat steamer (lansungan) with enough water.
* Put a small amount of rice mixture inside bamboo tubes(bumbong).
* Attached bamboo tubes to lansungan or steamer.
* When steam comes out of bamboo tubes, remove and immediately push out puto bumbong.
* Top with coconut shred and sugar before serving.


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BIBINGKA (Coconut rice desert)

Ingredients:

- 2 1/2 lb (5 1/2 cups)mochi rice
- 1 can (12 oz) frozen coconut milk, thawed
- 1 pkg (1 lb.)dark brown sugar
- bananna leaves

Procedure:

Rinse rice and cook in rice cooker. In a saucepan, combine coconut milk and 1 1/4 cups of the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Wilt banana leaves over low heat on electric stove; line a 13 X 9 X 2 inch baking pan. Preheat electric oven to 350 degrees F. Put cooked rice into a large bowl. Reserving 1/2 cup of the coconut milk mixture, stir remainder and remaining brown sugar evenly into the hot rice. Put into prepared pan. Top with the reserved 1/2 cup coconut milk mixture. Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for five minutes to set topping. Cut into small pieces. Makes 45 servings.


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