Pitsi-pitsi

Steamed in small portions so it sets to a chewy jelly, then rolled in coconut.

Not vegetarian — contains cheddar whose rennet the source does not name.

Ingredients

• 700 g cassava, peeled and finely grated
• 250 g caster sugar
• 350 ml water
• 1 teaspoon lye water, optional
• 200 g fresh grated coconut
• 100 g firm cheddar, finely grated

Method

1. STEAMED IN SMALL PORTIONS, and that is deliberate. Cassava starch sets to a translucent chew only if the heat reaches the middle quickly; one big dish gives you a raw core and a rubbery rim.
2. Squeeze the grated cassava lightly -- lightly, you want some of its starch -- and mix with the sugar, water and the lye water if using. It should be a loose, cloudy slurry.
3. Fill small greased moulds no deeper than 3 cm, about two thirds full.
4. Steam over a rolling boil for 30 to 35 minutes. They are done when they have gone from WHITE AND OPAQUE to evenly TRANSLUCENT. Any milky patch is undercooked starch and will taste of it.
5. Cool in the moulds until just warm, then turn out. Cold they shrink and come away by themselves.
6. Roll half in the grated coconut and top the rest with cheese. Either way it needs one, because the thing itself is almost unsweet once the starch has set.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Philippines · All recipes