Puto Bumbong is a funky looking rice delicacy or kakanin here in the Philippines. And other than the sapin-sapin, it’s probably the most colorful Filipino recipe I’ve ever attempted on this site. It’s a very delicious kakanin and some of the best I’ve tasted after a simbang gabi but my first impression of it wasn’t that magical from its presentation alone.
I mean, the kakanin itself looks fine and perfect (the violet color looks stunning) but the shredded coconut, butter, and sugar made it looks like something accidentally spilled on it, I thought. I asked the vendor if that’s really how the puto bumbong should be presented and he said yes, which I found intriguing. Over the upcoming years of attending simbang gabi and regularly buying kakanin after, I still find the kakanin known as puto bumbong quirky looking.
Its taste is delicious though, despite its not so stellar presentation. I thought it was going to taste like ube at first but upon my first bite, it’s actually steamed glutinous rice and messy toppings of shredded coconut, butter, and sometimes sugar makes the perfect combination for this type of kakanin.
Upon researching recipes to replicate to create my own puto bumbong for this site, I came to find that the original puto bumbong recipe doesn’t fully use the common glutinous rice at all but an heirloom variety of glutinous rice called pirurutong or tapol in the Visayan language.
The pirurutong glutinous rice has a stunning deep purple, almost black color that makes contributes to the puto bumbong violet color. Pirurutong is also used for other types of kakanin like biko. Nowadays, vendors would often use food coloring or ube as an alternative to achieve that purple color in making puto bumbong rather than the pirurutong glutinous rice.
Why is this? Well, I came to find out the pirurutong is a rice variety that is endangered, unfortunately, so coming across it is quite rare nowadays, and if you are lucky enough to find it at your local market or supermarket, it can get quite expensive compared to the total of ordinary glutinous rice and violet food coloring.
In the original recipe, the pirurutong was mixed with the ordinary glutinous rice at a larger ratio for steaming, ordinary non-sticky rice can also be used if you want a less chewy consistency. The mixture is then soaked in saltwater overnight–ordinary will also do. This soaking process will give the kakanin a sort of fermented or acidic aftertaste.
The mixture is then drained completely and packed tightly into a bamboo tube who’s insides were greased with coconut oil (modern recipes will use either butter or margarine to grease the insides of the bamboo tube) and steamed. This results in the cylinder-shaped violet kakanin that is puto bumbong. The only thing left is to generously top it with shredded coconut, sugar, and butter.
The vendors will usually steam the rice mixtures right at the sides of churches at the side of the street outside of churches. It’s one of the most common kakanin to eat, along with bibingka, during the Christmas season, especially after midnight mass or simbang gabi.
That’s the original recipe, for my recipe of puto bumbong, I, unfortunately, won’t be using the pirurutong glutinous rice. I looked high and low for this rice variety but my search was unsuccessful. Instead, I’ll be cooking with the more modern ingredients for cooking puto bumbong, ordinary glutinous rice with a mixture of regular non-sticky rice.
I soak these two rice varieties in salt water along with violet food coloring for an hour. Got the rice mixture out of the water and let them dry overnight in a flour sack. To help further squeeze out the water from the rice mixture, I put something heavy on the floor sack it’ll be ready for cooking the following morning.
I also got myself three bamboo tubes (bumbong) to put the rice mixture in and a lansungan that’s specifically made for steaming bamboo tubes. You can use an ordinary steamer for this but I’m predicting it would be tricky to properly get the rice inside the bamboo tubes cooked.
Once I’ve put enough rice mixture into the bamboo tube which I first greased with coconut oil, I’ll just have to attach them onto the lansungan. It’s only a 3-minute wait until the steam will come out of the bamboo tubes and that’s when I know that the puto bumbong is cooked. I quickly remove the bamboo tubes from the lansungan and push out the puto bumbong onto a banana leaf.
I liked the result which is a cylinder-shaped violet sticky rice cake. All that’s left to do is top it with coconut shreds and sugar before serving. It’s a delicious rice delicacy although, I’m still looking forward to when I’ll be using the traditional pirurutong rice variety for this recipe.
Puto Bumbong Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 grams Glutinous Rice Flour
- 3 tbsp coconut milk powder
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp violet food color
- Banana Leaf or Aluminum Foil
- Toppings:
- Grated Coconut
- Condensed milk
- Grated cheese
- Margarine
- Leche Flan
Instructions
- In a bowl combine glutinous rice flour, coconut milk powder. Mix well
- Gradually add water and violet food color, mix well with your hand until clay texture
- Grate the dough using grater to make a galapong.
- Prepare a banana leaf or aluminum foil for a wrap and brush with margarine
- Steam for 20 mins
- For toppings brush margarine, add grated coconut, condensed milk, grated cheese and leche flan
- Serve and enjoy!
YOUTUBE
FAQs
Puto bumbong is made from a unique heirloom variety of glutinous rice called pirurutong (also called tapol in Visayan) which is deep purple to almost black in color. Pirurutong is mixed with a larger ratio of white glutinous rice (malagkit or malagkit sungsong in Tagalog, lit.
What is the English term for puto bumbong? ›
puto bumbóng
[noun] a type of purple rice cake which is prepared by steaming ground purple rice mixture inside a bamboo tube, often served during the Christmas season. Root: puto.
What makes puto bumbong purple? ›
The purple-hued rice cake (puto) is made with glutinous rice and often cooked inside bamboo tubes (bumbong). Its color traditionally comes from a local dark-purple rice variety called pirurutong, which gets soaked overnight, then ground.
How to eat puto bumbong? ›
Bamboo tubes are filled with the grounded rice, and after minutes of steaming, the puto bumbong is taken out of the tube with the help of a buttered stick, and placed on a banana leaf. Traditionally, it is served with a spreading of margarine, muscovado sugar, and grated coconut on top.
What are the two types of puto? ›
Puto pandan – puto cooked with a knot of pandan leaves, which imparts additional fragrance and a light green color. Puto-Pao – a combination of siopao (meat-filled bun) and puto. It uses the traditional puto recipe but incorporates a spiced meat filling.
Why is it called puto Filipino? ›
The word puto is derived from the Malay word puttu, which literally means “portioned.” The regional variants of the steamed cake take their names from either their appearance or their most notable feature.
What does puto mean in the Philippines? ›
For Tagalog speakers, puto. [1] is synonymous primarily with a certain confection comprised of fermented rice and coconut. It is not a cognate for the well-known Spanish profanity. The word itself is derived from the Malay word puttu, which literally means “portioned.”
What are popular Filipino foods? ›
Rice
- Arroz Caldo Recipe.
- Garlic Fried Rice Recipe.
- Filipino-Style Chicken Adobo Recipe.
- Sinigang na Baboy (Filipino Pork in Sour Tamarind Soup) Recipe.
- Dinuguan (Filipino Pork Blood Stew) Recipe.
- Pinakbet (Filipino Vegetable Stew) Recipe.
- Kare-Kare (Filipino Curry) Recipe.
- Ukoy (Filipino Shrimp and Vegetable Fritters) Recipe.
Puto is the masculine form of the multi-functional Spanish puta, meaning “prostitute.” It's used as a slur against people who are gay and an insult to anyone perceived as weak or contemptible. Content warning: this article deals with extremely offensive language and sensitive topics.
Can I reheat puto bumbong? ›
Puto Bumbong is best enjoyed fresh, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, steam the puto bumbong for a few minutes until heated through. Serve the puto bumbong as a dessert or snack during special occasions or as a sweet treat any time of the year.
Puto Bumbong is a Philippine street food that is traditionally steamed in bamboo tubes and served during the holiday season.
Why is puto bumbong famous during Christmas? ›
As a predominantly Catholic country, Filipinos attend the evening masses 'simbang gabi' and after the mass, church goers would feel peckish and snack on some Puto Bumbong or Bibingka which is another Christmas rice cake delicacy.
What is puto bumbong Philippine delicacy? ›
'Puto bumbong' is a Filipino delicacy traditionally served during Christmas season in the Philippines. It literally translates to steamed glutinous rice (puto) cooked in bamboo (bumbong). The rice is usually wrapped in banana leaves and then served with warm butter or margarine, coconut flakes and brown sugar.
What does puto bumbong taste like? ›
Putobumbong in the Philippines
Aside from its seasonal timing, Filipinos love Putobumbong because of its sweet and nutty flavor and chewy texture. Another enticing feature is the aroma coming from the steaming rice and grated coconut.
Is puto bumbong the same as puto? ›
Puto bumbong is a sticky, violet colored rice cake that is steamed in a bamboo tube. Puto is originally a Chinese dish (rice balls) that is served for breakfast or merienda (Filipino equivalent to afternoon tea or brunch). The word “puto” is a generic term for a rice cake made from galapong (rice flour).
What is the main ingredients of puto? ›
Puto is a Filipino steamed rice cake delicacy normally eaten as snack. Puto is also, oftentimes, served to accompany savory dishes like dinuguan (pork blood stew) or pancit (rice noodle). The traditional one is made from rice, water, and sugar that is stone-grinded to make the batter or what we call 'galapong'.
What is the raw material of puto? ›
The Filipino rice cake, puto, is consumed daily as a breakfast, dessert or snack food. The product is made from rice that is soaked overnight, ground and mixed with sugar and coconut milk. The resulting batter is then fermented for several hours, during which time acidification and leavening occur.
What is puto Seko made of? ›
Traditional puto seco is made from galapong, ground glutinous rice grains soaked in water overnight. However, modern versions are more commonly produced with rice flour or all-purpose flour. It is mixed with cornstarch, butter, eggs, salt, and sugar.
What is tupig made of? ›
Tupig, also known as intemtem or kangkanen, is a Filipino rice cake originating from northwestern Luzon, particularly the regions of Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Ilocos. It is made from ground slightly-fermented soaked glutinous rice (galapong) mixed with coconut milk, muscovado sugar, and young coconut (buko) strips.
