Biko - Filipino Sticky Rice Cake

Yesterday, the little girl and I had to go to the bank to get my card. On the way home, we passed by the Oriental store and made me think about making biko.  For those who don't know what it is, biko is a sticky rice cake that is commonly eaten as a snack or dessert in the Philippines. It's essentially made of glutinous rice, brown sugar, and coconut milk. Some add jackfruit (langka), pandan flavor, or even nuts as toppings. 

As for me, I was feeling adventurous so I thought of adding a Singaporean flavor, the gula melaka. Since it's generally used by Malays in their kueh making, I thought, maybe it would also be a great complement to my biko! So off we went to buy the glutinous rice, gula melaka, and coconut milk. Time to do the experiment!

Gula melaka in the coconut milk

Ingredients:

• 1 part (250 grams) gula melaka, cut into small pieces
• 1 can 425ml of coconut milk
• 2 cups of glutinous rice, soaked in water for at least 4 hours
• pinch of salt

Method:

1. Soak the 2 cups of glutinous rice in water for 4-6 hours. Drain the water and cook the rice in the rice cooker with two cups of water. Once the water evaporates, turn off the cooker.

2. In a heavy skillet, pour the coconut milk and mix in the gula melaka and pinch of salt until it turns thick. Make sure not to leave as it easily burns. Take about half of the coconut mixture and set aside.

3. Add the cooked rice into the skillet and mix carefully to coat everything with the coconut mixture. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes, just to make sure that the rice is cooked. Remove from heat.

4. Pour the rice in a 8x8 square dish and top with the remaining coconut mixture. Bake for about 15-20 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius or until the top becomes bubble.

5. Let cool for about 30 minutes, cut and serve. Enjoy!

Tadaaah!