Growing up I called this Filipino dessert “Biko”, but I’ve learned that it’s also called “Bibingka”, “Malagkit” or even “Bibingkang Malagkit” which is probably the best name for it.
Bibingka is basically a cake made with sweet glutinous rice or sweet glutinous rice flour aka Mochiko flour. Malagkit literally means “sticky”. So Bibingkang Malagkit translates to Sticky Rice Cake which is exactly what this dessert is! What we called Biko is a sticky rice cake that is topped with a coating of thickened coconut milk; it is simply put another name for the same dessert.
Anyway whatever you call it it’s delicious. It’s one of the dishes that fall under the “kakanin” category of Filipino food which are sweet treats usually made with rice, coconut, and root vegetables.
Recently I got a yen for some Biko and buying some was not an option. I always find that when I buy any type of Filipino food at restaurants I always end up disappointed and make it the way I like it at home.
I looked at several recipes for Biko or Binbingkang Malagkit and they all involved more steps and ingredients than what I recalled from childhood. I guess the recipe got fancier since I was a kid! So I thought back to how my Lola (grandmother) Juling told me to make it. Her way was way too easy and used 3 ingredients! So I decided why not, do it Lola’s way, her Biko was always delicious. Besides I wanted good old fashioned and simple. None of that fancy stuff for me! And not soaking rice overnight!
So without a recipe and with just 3 ingredients I set out to make my Lola’s Biko and let me tell you it came out perfect! My grandkids and kids all loved it! In fact it’s so easy I could make it everyday; but I won’t, it’s way too fattening!
I thought I’d share this simple recipe with you. You will love it!
I use my rice cooker to cook the rice, but if you don’t have a rice cooker you can cook the sweet rice on the stove just how you’d cook regular rice.
Biko
Ingredients:
4 Cups uncooked Sweet Rice (you can find this in Asian Markets, there are many brands to choose from)
Water to cook the rice
2 Cans Coconut Milk (you can find this in Asian Markets)
Add enough water to reach a bit under the water line in the rice cooker (if you’re cooking in a pot on the stove use a little bit less water than what you’d normally use to cook rice). You want the rice to be just a bit undercooked.
Wait for the rice to cook. Again you don’t want the rice mushy, you want it a bit undercooked.
Meanwhile oil a 9×13 baking pan well, bottom and all sides. Set aside.
Place brown sugar and coconut milk in a pot and bring to a boil, stir constantly so the coconut milk and sugar combine well and is smooth. Set aside.
When rice is done put it in the baking pan and smooth out evenly.
Pour the coconut mixture over all.
Bake in a pre-heated 350º oven for about 1 hour or until all the liquid thickens. The top will bubble as it bakes.
Remove from oven and cool.
Cut into squares and serve.
Cover leftovers and leave on the counter, it has a shelf life of about 2 days. If storing longer than 2 days place it in an airtight container and refrigerate but it can get a bit hard. To soften place a damp paper towel over a piece and microwave for about 30 – 45 seconds. You can also freeze it in airtight freezer bags and thaw at room temperature before serving.
Add enough water to reach a bit under the water line in the rice cooker (if you're cooking in a pot on the stove use a little bit less water than what you'd normally use to cook rice). You want the rice to be just a bit undercooked.
Wait for the rice to cook. Again you don't want the rice mushy, you want it a bit undercooked.
Meanwhile oil a 9x13 baking pan well, bottom and all sides. Set aside.
Place brown sugar and coconut milk in a pot and bring to a boil, stir constantly so the coconut milk and sugar combine well and is smooth. Set aside.
When rice is done put it in the baking pan and smooth out evenly.
Pour the coconut mixture over all.
Bake in a pre-heated 350º oven for about 1 hour or until all the liquid thickens. The top will bubble as it bakes.
This recipe was semi-inspired by the Chinese Chicken Salad at The Cheesecake Factory. I fell in love with dish in eighth grade—it made me feel grown up and sophisticated. Twenty something years later, I still find the salad delicious. It’s sweet, savory, refreshing, and extremely crunchy. (I’m a huge sucker for iceberg lettuce.)
The History of Chinese Chicken Salad
The exact origin of “Chinese Chicken Salad” is unknown. However, legend has it that it was invented in the 1960s at Madam Wu’s in Los Angeles because Cary Grant requested it. Sunset magazine published a recipe in 1970, and Wolfgang Puck created his own version of it in the 80’s.
The salad itself is much more American than it is Chinese. In her book, The Seventh Daughter: My Culinary Journey From Beijing To San Francisco, chef Cecilia Chang says, “In China, lettuce was imported and rare and salads were things that were pickled.” Because my recipe is based on a American chains version of a very American dish, I decided to change the name to more accurately describe what it is: a crunchy salad with chicken and mandarin oranges.
The Crunch Factor
Many restaurant versions of the dish, including The Cheesecake Factory use wonton strips and crispy rice noodles. I sub in a block of broken up ramen—the cheap, dried stuff, not the fresh noodles that come refrigerated. Broken up, the crunchy, wavy noodles act as croutons. The almonds can be easily swapped for cashews or roasted peanuts.
The Chicken
Leftover rotisserie chicken works wonderfully for this recipe, but if you have chicken breasts on hand, follow our easy guide to poaching chicken.
Mandarin Oranges
I’m a sucker for the syrupy sweetness you get from a can of mandarin oranges. But fresh mandarin oranges (aka clementines) will add the perfect pop of brightness to your salad.
YIELDS: 8 SERVINGS PREP TIME: 0 HOURS 15 MINS TOTAL TIME: 0 HOURS 20 MINS
Make salad: In a large bowl, toss together lettuce, red cabbage, chicken, mandarin oranges, crushed ramen noodles, carrots, green onions, and sliced almonds.
Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, honey, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Slowly drizzle in vegetable oil, whisking constantly until emulsified.
Before serving, drizzle dressing over salad and toss to combine.
Chocolate Magic Flan Cake combines two favorite desserts in one! Part moist chocolate cake and part creamy custard, it’s the ultimate sweet treat!
Impossible Chocolate Flan Cake is easy to make and sure to wow the crowd. A luscious combination of caramel, chocolate cake, and (leche) flan, it’s the ultimate baked treat!
If you love a moist chocolate cake and a creamy flan, you are in luck. I am going to show you how to make a stunning Impossible flan cake that combines these two dessert favorites in one delectable treat!
What is magic chocoflan
The cake is made up of three components and baked in a bundt pan. The layering starts with the dulce de leche, followed by the chocolate batter and, finally, the flan. As it bakes, the cake rises to the top, and the custard sinks to the bottom.
Once the cake is released from the pan and inverted the cake on the serving platter, you’ll find that the chocolate and flan layer have magically switched places! You get a gorgeous cake with a luscious caramel glaze sitting on top.
How to make
Chocolate cake layer
To prevent lumps in the batter, make sure that the milk and eggs are at room temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and fluffy.
Add the egg and continue to beat.
In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and add half of the mixture into the mixing bowl.
Add half of the milk. Beat the mixture until the dry ingredients are just moistened.
Add the remaining half of the dry mixture and the milk and beat just until the ingredients are incorporated. Do not overmix as it will result in a dense cake.
Flan layer
In a mixing bowl, combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until well incorporated.
Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the mixture into a spouted container.
Assembling layers
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease a 12-cup bundt pan with softened butter and add the dulce de leche, swirling to cover the bottom of the bundt pan.
Spoon the chocolate batter on top of the dulce de leche, making sure to fill the pan evenly. Using an angled spatula, smoothen the top.
Carefully pour the flan mixture over the chocolate batter.
Cover the bundt pan with aluminum foil, securing the edges.
Baking the cake
Set the bundt pan on a roasting pan and place inside the oven. Carefully pour about two inches of hot water into the roasting pan to create steam inside the oven as the cake bakes.
In a 350 F oven, bake the cake for about 60 minutes without opening the oven door to keep the steam from escaping.
After 60 minutes, check the cake by inserting a skewer in the middle. The cake is ready if the skewer comes out with some soft chocolate cake crumbs.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool completely on the roasting pan.
To release the cake, gently shake the roasting pan from side to side to loosen the cake.
Invert a cake serving plate over the bundt pan and carefully turn it over. Gently lift the bundt pan from the plate, releasing the cake.
Serve the flan cake right away or refrigerate to chill completely.
And here you have it, layers of decadence in one ultimate treat. Caramel, flan, and chocolate in every slice!
1 ounce butter, softened (for greasing the pan)
¼ cup dulce de leche (homemade or store-bought)
For the Chocolate Cake
¾ cup sugar
5 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1 egg, room temperature
1 ¾ cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 ¼ cup milk, room temperature
For the Flan
1 can (14 ounces) condensed milk
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
4 eggs
½ tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Making the Chocolate Cake Layer
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer until thick and fluffy.
Add the egg and continue to beat.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda.
Add half of the dry ingredient mixture into the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Add half of the milk.
Beat the mixture until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Add the remaining half of the dry mixture and of the milk. Beat just until the ingredients are incorporated.
Making the Leche Flan Layer
In a mixing bowl, combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until well incorporated.
Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the mixture into a spouted container.
Baking the Chocoflan
Grease a 12-cup bundt pan with softened butter.
Add the dulce de leche, swirling to cover the bottom of the bundt pan. Set aside.
Spoon the chocolate batter into the bundt pan on top of the dulce de leche, making sure to fill the pan evenly. Using an angled spatula, smoothen the top.
Carefully pour the flan mixture into the bundt pan over the chocolate batter.
Cover the bundt pan with aluminum foil, securing the edges.
Set the bundt pan on a roasting pan and place it inside the oven. Carefully pour about two inches of hot water into the roasting pan.
In a 350 F oven, bake the cake for about 60 minutes without opening the oven door to keep the steam from escaping. After 60 minutes, check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out with some soft chocolate cake crumbs, the cake is ready.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool completely on the roasting pan. To release the cake, gently shake the roasting pan from side to side to loosen the cake.
Invert a serving plate over the bundt pan and carefully turn it over. Gently lift the bundt pan from the plate, releasing the cake.
Serve the flan cake right away or refrigerate to completely chill.
In Hawaii we call Soy Sauce “Shoyu”. It’s the Japanese name for this dark salty sauce made from mashed soy beans.
We use Shoyu in many things, from dips to main dishes, Shoyu is a staple in almost every kitchen in Hawaii and is a condiment at most restaurants. One of the most popular dish made with this ingredient is Shoyu Chicken. It’s served at most local drive-ins and definitely in just about every local home.
I think of Shoyu Chicken as one of my favorite childhood comfort foods. I remember waiting for the days it was on the lunch menu at school.
This sweet salty chicken dish served over hot steamed white rice is delicious, or as we say in Hawaii “Ono”!
It’s really easy to make and requires ingredients you’ll find in an Asian Market, or if you live in Hawaii in any grocery store. I usually make up a large batch so that we can have left overs. This is one of those dishes that is just as good or even better the next day!
Best of all it doesn’t take all day to make and can be made in one pan! No fuss, no bother, just pure yummy! Here’s the recipe.
Shoyu Chicken
Ingredients:
6- 8 Chicken Thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
1 Tbs. Oil
3/4 Cup Soy Sauce or Shoyu as we call it
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar
6 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbs. Fresh Ginger, peeled and slivered
1/4 Cup Green Onions, chopped
1 Tbs. White Sesame Seeds
Directions:
Heat oil in a deep skillet or pot.
Add Chicken, skin side down and fry until it turns golden brown. Flip over and fry the other side too.
In a bowl combine soy sauce, sugar, water, and rice vinegar. Pour over the chicken.
Add in garlic and ginger. Bring to a boil.
Turn down heat and cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
Flip chicken over and simmer covered another 15 minutes.
Remove lid and turn up the heat to reduce the sauce until it thickens to the consistency of honey.
Move to serving dish if desired and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.
You won’t believe me until you try this recipe. I tried to create this recipe much easier to approach at home, without a huge traditional wok or using so much oil for deep fry!
The key for this recipe is cast iron wok/pan. You can also use any pan (non stick skillet or stainless skillet) you have too. It doesn’t have to be cast iron, but if you have one… just dust off and bring it out!
We will use minimum oil to shallow fry for the deep fry taste & texture. After the shallow frying, you can save and repurpose the leftover oil too, since it’s just a little bit.
It is amazing with steamed or fried rice. I like to enjoy with side steamed or stir fried veggies too. I have many different fried rice & veggie recipes you can serve with Beijing beef, so check it out down below!
Are we ready to start the recipe?! I’m already so hungry!
Let’s jump into it!
First, slice your beef thinly abut 1/8 inch and bite size. You don’t have to use expensive steak for this recipe, because we will cook the beef long enough to make it super crispy and tender. I recommend you to use beef chuk, tri-tip or flank steak.
Combine the sliced beef, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp shaoxing wine (or dry sherry. If you don’t want to consume alcohol, just omit) and pinch of black pepper in a mixing bowl. Marinate while preparing other ingredients.
Chop 5 to 7 cloves garlic. Dice 1/4 of medium size onion and 1/4 of red bell pepper. You can use any onions- I used yellow onion.
You won’t believe how simple is the sauce. Combine 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp vinegar, 2 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp sugar and 2 to 3 tsp sambal in a mixing bowl. This is is the BOMB! Super simple and so delicious!! Set aside.
Preheat 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup frying oil to 350°F. (If you are using cast iron wok/pan, just heat them over medium heat) We will do shallow fry, which is in-between deep frying & pan frying. More oil than pan frying but whole lot less than deep frying.
If you ware using wide skillet, less oil you will need.
Dust marinated beef with 1/2 cup of potato or corn starch evenly. You could coat them evenly one by one, but I’m hurry to cook & eat this Beijing beef so I just dumped the starch and mixed with my hand.
Check if the oil is preheated to 350°F by stick the end of a wooden chopstick or spoon into oil. If the oil starts steadily bubbling, then the oil is hot enough for frying.
add beef into frying oil one by one. Fry beef 6 to 7 minutes or until brown and crispy. You need to cook them well, almost the point that you are worry about if this is becoming a jerky. lol No worries, it won’t turn out to jerky though.
Remove beef from frying oil and place on a baking pan lined with cooling rack. Do batches as needed. I did 3 batches.
Turn off heat. Remove most of the frying oil from wok, leave 2 tbsp oil for stir frying.
You can keep used oil for later use, for stir frying or make this recipe again!
urn on heat to medium if you are using cast iron wok/pan or high heat if it’s regular wok or skillet. Add garlic, onion and red bell pepper. Stir fry them for 1 minute then pour sauce mixture. Let sauce boil, for 30 seconds, then add fried beef. Toss everything together and it’s read to serve!
Serve with steamed rice (or fried rice), chow mein, steamed veggies and more!
Combine beef, soy sauce, shaoxing wine and black pepper in a mixing bowl and marinate while preparing other ingredients.
Combine all ingredients for sauce in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Preheat frying oil to 350°F in a cast iron wok or a large skillet. (If you are using cast iron wok/pan, just heat them over medium heat)
Dust marinated beef with starch evenly. Now, carefully add beef into frying oil one by one. Fry beef 6 to 7 minutes or until brown and crispy. Remove Remove beef from frying oil and place on a baking pan lined with cooling rack. Do batches as needed.
Turn off heat. Remove most of the frying oil from wok, leave 2 tbsp oil for stir frying. You can keep used oil for later use, for stir frying or make this recipe again!
Turn on heat to medium if you are using cast iron wok/pan or high heat if it’s regular wok or skillet. Add garlic, onion and red bell pepper. Stir fry them for 1 minute then pour sauce mixture. Let sauce boil, for 30 seconds, then add fried beef. Toss everything together and it’s read to serve! Serve with steamed rice (or fried rice), chow mein, steamed veggies and more! Enjoy!
