This is one of my favorite puto* when I was little. I grew up in Binan, Laguna where there's a wide variety of puto to choose from. In our town we usually call this as sinukmani* but some people specially in the Rizal area they call this biko*.
This particular puto is made of malagkit*, brown sugar, and topped with latik*. Latik is the brown ground coffee-like granules you see on top of the biko. This is made of coconut milk slowly cooked in a pan until all the coconut oil comes out. This also gives the signature aroma of biko. In our house every time my mom or grandma cooks latik, everyone would know that they'd be making some biko.
When I was assigned in Chicago, USA last 2009, this is one of the desserts I made for my friends and even coworkers. Back then I was lucky to find all the ingredients that I need in one of the known Filipino stores in the area. The challenge though was how to prepare this puto with the usual utensils & kitchenware you have in a rented apartment. Not to mention that I haven't really tried making this puto on my own when I was home in the Philippines. I only have vivid memories on how my mom & my grandma usually prepare such treat. This was when I've discovered that you can actually improvise. I knew the latik would be easy to prepare but the malagkit might need a bit of precision cooking so as not to undercook or overcook it. The success of the biko is determined by it's stickiness and fresh aroma. Then I thought that it could be similar to the usual rice. So then I've tried to use a regular rice cooker. However, from time to time I would have to check & constantly stir the malagkit so the coconut milk will be evenly distributed and cook the sticky rice perfectly. After about an hour & a half in the kitchen I was able to cook the malagkit and prepare the latik. Now the tricky part is to re-cook the sticky rice with brown sugar in a big pan. The brown sugar is actually the ingredient that gives the biko it's unique brownish color, sweetness, & stickiness. The trick here which I've learned from my mom & my grandma is that you need to make sure that you will constantly stir the malagkit while adding the brown sugar. I remember them saying you got to have a strong arm because the biko will get stickier & stickier as you constantly stir it. It was a piece of advise I would never forget. It was also the time I would have to ask my roommates to help out. We took turns in stirring the malagkit. After about 30 minutes of constantly stirring the biko, it was now sticky enough for my taste & sweet enough to entice sweet lovers. Like every type of food, presentation matters a lot. This I guess is my forte. I always play around with patterns and overall look & feel of the food.
Finally, the moment of truth. Although I have had small samples of it while in the process of cooking, my friends' opinions matter to me a lot. I saw them in awe when they happen to sniff the biko's unique aroma and I would never forget the surprise looks on their faces to find that the treat was to their liking. The treat made them reminisce the same biko they've had back home only that my version was presented differently. I've hoped it meant better. After that, the biko has been my signature treat that I'd always prepare whenever there was an occasion or gathering. Even my American coworkers were able to sample the biko and it was surprising to know that even them liked it.
*puto - general term for rice cake
**sinukmani - a type of puto
***biko - a type of puto
****malagkit - sticky rice
*****latik - cooked coconut milk without the excess oil
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