Ube Biko
“Ube biko is a variation of the popular biko with the addition of ube halaya. Topped with latik, this creamy and delicious rice cake is great for holiday celebrations.”
If you’re a fan of biko and ube halaya, you would definitely love this ube biko recipe. It’s a variation of our most famous biko with added ube flavor plus the popular kakanin toppings, latik.
Since I’ve made a lot of ube halaya last Christmas, there are some leftovers. Although we can consume the ube halaya on its own, I decided to make something else for the New Year.
Aside from being colorful, this ube biko recipe is not too sweet, is chewy, and packed with purple yam flavor. It’s a perfect rice cake for holiday parties, especially the New Year.
UBE BIKO INGREDIENTS
This ube biko recipe is made with simple ingredients.
- Glutinous rice or “malagkit”. You have to rinse the malagkit properly before cooking to remove any starchy residue of the rice.
- Water for cooking the rice.
- Coconut cream. We will use 2 cans in making this recipe, one is for making the latik and 1 for the cooking the biko. I used canned coconut cream for consistency and convenience. You can substitute coconut milk if desired.
- Ube halaya. I used my home made ube halaya. You can use store bought purple yam, but you might have to adjust the sugar.
- Sugar is the only sweetener in this recipe.
- Ube flavoring intensifies the ube flavor, you may adjust according to your preference.
- Salt act as flavor enhancer.
HOW TO MAKE UBE BIKO
Making the ube biko involves three processes but doesn’t have to be complicated and hard.
Making the latik toppings
Make the latik ahead of time by preparing the golden coconut curds. The extracted coconut oil will be used to grease the pan and to increase the flavor and aroma of the rice cake.
To make the latik, pour the coconut cream into a non-stick skillet and let it cook until liquid starts to thicken and the curds form and become golden brown. It’s fairly easy but time-consuming, around 30-40 minutes to achieve that golden brown color.
Cooking the glutinous rice
This process will be easy if you use a rice cooker as you would only need to wait for it to cook. The ratio of the water is the same so that the malagkit will be partially cooked. It will be cooked completely in the sweetened coconut mixture once combined.
Cooking the ube biko
This is the final part and requires elbow grease. In cooking the biko, combine all the ingredients in a non-stick wok or pan and mix until fully combined. Add the cooked rice and mix until all are well incorporated.
The mixture must be swirled and heated until it becomes very thick, sticky, and pulls away from the sides of the pan. This might take around 20-30 minutes to cook.
Transfer to a greased pan and serve with latik toppings.
COOKING TIPS
- Use coconut cream for a creamy ube biko.
- Cook the glutinous rice partially for a chewy texture.
- Varying kinds of malagkit have different water to rice ratios, thus you may need to modify the amount of water used to steam the rice.
- Make sure to drain the rice well after rinsing, since excess liquid will affect the texture.
- Use homemade ube halaya if possible.
- Use a non-stick heavy bottom wok or pan in cooking the biko. I also recommend using a silicone or wooden spatula if you have them to make the process more manageable and minimize sticking.
HOW TO SERVE
Serve this ube biko with latik topping as a midday snack or after-meal dessert. Personally, I like eating this at room temperature or cold, but you can also warm it up in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes at a time until slightly softened.
HOW TO STORE
Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic film and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and tell me how you liked it in the comments section below; I love hearing from you! Happy tummy!
Ube Biko Recipe
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 1 non-stick wok or pan
- 1 silicone or wooden spoon
- 1 rice cooker small
- 1 10×6-inch rectangle pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups glutinous rice, rinsed well
- 2 cups water
- 1 can (400ml) coconut cream
- ¾ cup ube halaya or purple jam
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons ube flavoring
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 can (400 ml) coconut cream, for latik
Instructions
Making the latik:
- In a pan over medium heat, pour coconut cream and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally until liquid starts to thicken.
- Continue to cook and lower the heat. As the oil starts to separate and solids begin to form, continuously stir and scrape the sides and bottom of the pan to prevent burning. Continue to cook and stir until curds turn golden brown for about 30-40 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool down and set aside.
Making the ube biko:
- In a small rice cooker, rinse glutinous rice three times. Add 2 cups of water and turn on the rice cooker and let it cook.
- In a large wok or cooking pan, combine coconut cream, ube halaya, sugar, ube flavoring, and salt. Turn on heat to low and mix until all ingredients are well dissolved.
- Place cooked rice in the wok and continue mixing until the rice is covered with creamy liquid.
- Continue cooking for about 20-30 minutes or until the liquid evaporates and the rice is fully cooked (do not overcook).
- Transfer to a greased 10×6-inch pan and press down to flatten.
- Set aside to cool completely and sprinkle with latik on top before serving.
- Share and enjoy!
Video
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