Tupig

     I grew up with Filipino kakanin. Our neighbour prepared and cooked them everyday. I can still vividly remember those rice grains in big pails were soaked and covered overnight, then manually grind in the morning. I used to be just a spectator and a consumer of these native kakanin before. One of my favourites is tupig. It is chewy but soft and the young coconut strips compliment with it. Tupig is a mixture of ground glutinous rice, sugar, young coconut strips and coconut milk. Then wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over charcoal. The aroma of burnt banana leaves gives this rice cake its distinct flavor. Yum!
     This is my second try of preparing tupig at home.

Ingredients:

3  1/2 cups glutinous rice flour
1 can coconut milk (400ml)
1 cup palm sugar
2 cups young coconut strips
Banana leaves

Preparation:

1. In a mixing bowl, put glutinous rice flour, add palm sugar then mix well
2. Pour in the coconut milk, add coconut strips and mix.
3. Using 1/4 cup , scoop  mixture
4. Transfer the measured mixture on a clean 4 inches wide banana leaf.
5. Roll and fold on both ends
6. Cook on a grill with medium heat

Tips:

• Brown sugar can also be used as sweetener instead of palm sugar
• It’s tastier to use freshly opened young coconut meat for the strips which I used in this recipe. Frozen can also be used.
• I applied foil on top of the grill before laying the tupig to avoid direct contact on the flame.
• Lay on the heat surface the tupig’s thicker side where the banana leaf folds are. 
• Cover the grill for faster cooking time.                    

Cook happy!😋