KUTCHINTA

That little round orange dessert which is best eaten with grated coconut. It is usually being sold alongside the famous Calasiao Puto. That is what I grew up with. But it didn't really had an appeal to me until I came here in Australia. As if everybody here likes it! Many are selling in the Asian "Filipino" stores in a pre packed style by itself not with Puto. The colour varies from dark brown to light brown or pale orange or too orangey. It depends on the sugar used and or the food colour used or maybe it depends on which province in the Philippines the maker came from. Kutchinta is a steamed rice cake with lye water.  However, many use all purpose flour rather than the authentic ground rice. I think because it's easier to make. I do both plain flour and ground rice (not rice flour). For special occasions I use the rice, it's tedious but it's so worth it! For a quick and easy one, I use plain or all purpose white flour.It tastes good anyway.

KUTCHINTA RECIPE

2 cups Plain flour
2 cups white sugar
1/2 tsp annatto powder
4 cups water
1 tsp lye water
   grated coconut

1. Mix all dry ingredients.
2. Add water and lye water. Whisk.
3. Strain to remove undissolved solid ones.
4. Pour into small moulds.
5. With boiling water in the steamer, steam for 10 mins. (lower the heat to medium before putting the moulds in the steamer and making sure to wipe the steamer lid everytime lifting and putting it back)
6. Let it cool before taking it out from the moulds.
7. Sprinkle with grated coconut and serve.

PALITAW

I have extra grated coconut used for the kutchinta I made yesterday, so I thought of making Palitaw. I haven't made this yet for the reason that I am not fond of it. When I was a kid I almost choked everytime I eat it so maybe that's the reason why. It a bit scares me so I don't want my kids to feel that too. But I thought I might give it a go. My Nanay (my father's mother) used to make Unda-Unday and I guessed the procedure is the same it's the finishing touches that they differ. Outcome is well and good.

My Palitaw Recipe:

(yields 24 pcs)

3 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour

1 3/4 cups water

         grated coconut

60 g sesame seeds

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1. Combine the flour and water and mixing it well to form a dough that is not dry and not that wet, just a soft dough.

2. Form individual balls like the size of a ping pong ball or 40g/ball (Pic 1).

3. Then in between your two palms, flatten each  small dough and drop slowly into a pot of boiling water. Maybe 4 at a time depending on the size of your pot. Making sure they won't be sticking together while cooking (Pic 2).

4. They're cooked when they float. Take them out and put in a wire rack to drain the excess water (Pic 3 -4).

5. Let them cool a bit then roll into the grated coconut.
6. Just before serving, roll into the combined toasted sesame seeds and sugar.

How to roast sesame seeds:

Put the sesame seeds in a pan ( I used a non stick one) then heat it up over medium to low fire tossing frequently until brown.

My husband and I ate it with hot black coffee. Black tea would be good with it too. It's not that sweet but maybe adding 2-3 tbsp sugar to glutinous rice before combining with water will make it a bit sweeter.

IDENTITY CRISIS

When I was a young kid I would get my aunty's bags and books and pretended to be a teacher. I would use our bedroom as a classroom and  had imaginary students. I wanted to be a tall, slim and well dressed teacher. Then when I was in my last years in primary school, every after school, my mother would leave us in a rice retail store while she goes to wet market to buy something for our dinner, etc. I enjoyed watching the lady selling rice by the kilos. Then I changed my mind. I no longer want to be teacher but I wanted to have a business, a retail business. I would sell rice and groceries. Then in high school, I excelled in Mathematics and enjoyed my Chemistry class though my teacher was tough. I planned to take Chemical Engineering when I will be in College. But I was greatly disappointed coz that course was not available in the University in our province where I will be studying at. I need to go to Manila, study and live there. But we were financially not capable to do it. My father told me too that it would be very hard for me to find a job after finishing the course. My parents decided for me to take Commerce major in Accounting so I would land a job in a bank and could get a better salary. But that decision had changed when my uncle, a brother of my mother, told them that the in demand profession (that time) was Civil Engr. That if I will take that course and finished it, he will help me financially in my studies and help me get a job later. So to make the story short, I enrolled in Civil Engineering course, studied well, finished it with  very good grades that would made my parents happy and proud and had passed the board exam too.

While I was doing the course, I started to love reading love story books. I enjoyed reading Movie magazines and anything about the showbiz world. Then I started writing love stories in my mind. I used to tell them to my close classmates/friends during our free periods in the University. I remember how they listened well and even asked me where can they borrow the book. I then wanted to be a writer. But I was discouraged again. You have to be very very smart to be a good writer to earn a very good income, they said.

One of our subjects in Civil Engineering was Surveying. I had fun in that subject. I thought I could be a surveyor. But my father who had a job in Bureau of Lands said the job will only suit a man. Though I had a job in a surveying company later not in the fields but just in the office. I was questioning in my mind, how about being a Civil Engr, that would suit a man not a woman! After passing the board exam, I did a little job as Civil Engr with my uncle. But he was not able to help me get a job in the company he was working at. His circumstance changed then passed away soon.

Civil Engineering is math, design, construction and maintenance. Since I could not get a job anymore in the province, I applied for a teaching job advertised in a national paper. The name of the school was not mentioned. But it turned out it was Ateneo, in Manila. I was not accepted coz I have no units in teaching but I was offered scholarship to take Masters degree in Mathematics. Apparently they were impressed with my grades in Mathematics. I will be receiving an amount too for books. But turned it down coz  I would be living in Manila then of course I have to pay for board and lodging. I need to help my family. I need to get a job rather than study and spend again.

I was not very keen in structural designs, but I like decorating houses, offices, etc. I've always been fascinated by the interior designs inside the buildings, in actual or in the magazines.Wherever I go to someone's house, office or even in the hospital, I find myself decorating it in my mind. This time, I just keep it within me. I do not want anyone know that I wanted to be an Interior decorator, except my husband and my children.

As I get older, I found myself enjoying cooking and baking. I began collecting cook books and I guess I became addicted to it. I love watching cooking shows. But the desire to be an Interior decorator is still in my heart. I still decorate in my mind the places I go. I still daydream of writing stories. My husband put up a restaurant with karaoke for me but there were many obstacles to make it succeed. One obstacle was and is very difficult that it will take so much courage to overcome it. It hurts me but I need a strong "reinforcement" to establish another restaurant or to start from scratch again, let it be a Cafe. I am referring to my children as the strong reinforcement.

I am still an at home mom, but I love it so much that I am always thankful to the Lord for giving me such children. I do small caterings from time to time. But I still wanted to make something that would satisfy my own personal identity. The chapter in my life where I was ordered to listen was gone. I wanted to close another chapter in my life where I was put down emotionally and mentally and has been a subject of jealousy. It's crushing me! I am opening soon the next chapter where I can stand strong and would be able to do what I've been longing to do for as long as I can remember. ☺