Puto

Puto is a steamed rice cake popular in the Southeast Asian country of the Philippines. Steaming, a popular cooking method in this country along with boiling and roasting, was incorporated into Filipino cuisine and cooking by other Asian countries. Rice, the main ingredient in this dish, is an important staple for the Philippines. Rice is typically eaten in most meals and has been known to be featured in all types of sweet and savory Filipino dishes. Puto is usually eaten as a dessert, but can also be eaten for breakfast dipped into or paired with a cup of hot coffee or hot chocolate.

Variations of Puto:

Puto Bumbong - Traditionally made from a special variety of heirloom sticky or glutinous rice called Pirurutong which has a distinctly purple color, soaked in salted water and dried overnight and then poured into bumbong or bamboo tubes and then steamed until done or steam rises out of the bamboo tubes. It is served topped with butter or margarine and shredded coconut mixed with sugar.

Puto Maya - A puto mixture of glutinous rice soaked in water, drained and then poured into a steamer to steam for 30 minutes. This rice mixture is then combined with coconut milk, salt, sugar and ginger juice and placed back into the steamer for another 25 to 30 minutes.

Puto Mamon - A puto mixture that does not include rice but combines egg yolk, salt and sugar. One mixture of milk and water and another of flour are alternately mixed into the yolk mixture. Egg whites are beaten and folded in before the mixture is poured into muffin cups and steamed for 15-20 min.

Puto-Pao - A hybrid of siopao (sweetmeat-filled dumpling) and puto. It uses the traditional puto recipe but incorporates a sweetmeat filling.

Reference: Wikipedia: Puto