← Nouns Cooking · Indonesian & Filipino

Ingredients

• 120 g plain flour
• 50 g Tapioca starch
• 200 g Brown sugar
• 500 ml Water
• 2 tsp annatto powder (for colour)
• 2 tsp Lye water (lihia)
• oil, for the moulds
• 100 g freshly grated coconut (or moistened desiccated)

Method

1. Stir the brown sugar and annatto powder into the water until dissolved. Whisk in the flour and tapioca starch until completely smooth, then stir in the lye water.
2. Bring a steamer to the boil and wrap the lid in a tea towel. Brush small kutsinta or muffin moulds with oil and fill them about three-quarters full.
3. Steam over medium heat for 20–25 min until the cakes are set, slightly translucent and a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Let them cool completely for 30 min before running a knife around the edges and unmoulding; warm kutsinta is too sticky to release.
5. Serve topped with grated coconut.

Tips

• Lye water (lihia) is strongly alkaline: measure it carefully, keep it away from children and wash spills off skin straight away. Too much makes the cakes bitter.
• Freshly grated coconut spoils fast, so add it just before serving.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Foxy Folksy Panlasang Pinoy