Kutsinta Recipe (Kutchinta) - Today's Delight (2024)

FAQs

What is the use of lye water in Kutsinta? ›

The addition of lye water gives Kutsinta its distinctively chewy texture, setting it apart from other rice-based desserts. Traditionally served as a merienda (afternoon snack) or as part of a special occasion spread, Kutsinta offers a unique experience with each bite.

Too much lye water or baking soda can also taste bitter. To avoid this, measure the ingredients accurately and follow the recipe instructions closely. Another possible reason for bitterness is overcooking the kutsinta.

Puto cuchinta or kutsinta is a type of steamed rice cake (puto) found throughout the Philippines. It is made from a mixture of tapioca or rice flour, brown sugar and lye, enhanced with yellow food coloring or annatto extract, and steamed in small ramekins.

Black Kutsinta is made the same way as my Kutsinta, with tapioca flour, all-purpose flour, and brown sugar. But instead of using annatto, these sticky round cakes are made using blackstrap molasses. It is extra delicious with a rich and smoky flavor, even more so when topped with sweet sesame and coconut toppings.

Remember, the lye solution is created by dissolving and diluting lye into distilled water. A common dilution rate is 30% lye and 70% water. In other words, the total makeup of the lye mixture is 1 part lye to 2.3 parts water. When the ratio of lye to water increases, the mixture is more lye concentrated.

Note: Cassava starch is the same with Tapioca starch, Cassava flour.

Noun. kutsinta (a red or yellow steamed rice cake with a chewy, jelly-like consistency, popular in the Philippines).

Okay, and this looks like it may be obvious, but Tapioca starch is Tapioca Flour. Yes. They are, in fact, the same product; they are just labeled differently from brand to brand. The fiber is removed from the starch of the dried cassava, so it is referred to as tapioca starch.

Its name is believed to come from the Hokkien term "kueh tsin tao," meaning "bite-sized snack" or "dessert." However, there's another theory that kutsinta was named after a now-obsolete kitchen tool that originally gave it the shape of a flattened cupcake. Today, molds are used to give this rice cake its form.

What is the history of kutsinta in the Philippines? ›

The kutsinta was thought to have sprung up at the same time as its pasty counterpart, but the origins of its name remain a mystery. It has been theorized, however, that its name might have a connection to an obsolete piece of kitchen equipment responsible for its flattened, saucer-like shape.

According to some people, the name kutsinta is derived from a pre-colonial kitchen tool used in shaping the rice cake. Another theory is that the word comes from the Chinese Hokkien term “Kueh Tsin Tao”, the term kueh meaning “little steamed cake or cookie for snack”.

Lye water is an ingredient used in Asian and African cooking for cooking meat, rice or noodles and vegetables like corn, beans, maize or okra to soften or add flavour or keep vegetables colour. It is usually added as part of the recipe in small amounts (spoonfuls).

In cooking, what does lye water do? - Quora. It reduces the temperature requirements for Maillard reactions as in pretzels, can give alkaline noodles their chew, breaks down proteins as in lutefisk, nixtamalizes corn for enhanced nutrition and flavor, balances acidity(though baking soda is more common), etc.

Ingestion of sodium hydroxide can cause spontaneous vomiting, chest and abdominal pain, and difficulty swallowing with drooling. Corrosive injury to the mouth, throat, esophagus, and stomach is extremely rapid and may result in perforation, hemorrhage, and narrowing of the gastrointestinal tract.

Lye water, called "lihiya" or "lihia" in Filipino, is an essential ingredient that changes the texture and color of many desserts. Let's learn about its culinary applications, where to find it, and how to use it safely in your favorite Filipino recipes.

Lyes are used to cure many types of food, including the traditional Nordic lutefisk, olives (making them less bitter), canned mandarin oranges, hominy, lye rolls, century eggs, pretzels, candied pumpkins, and bagels.