Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Filipino Cheese Puto Steamed Rice Cakes
菲律賓芝士蒸米糕
Recipe overview
Rice flour and baking powder make soft steamed cakes topped with cheese. This is a quick household puto without a fermentation wait.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 200 g Rice flour, not glutinous
- 200 ml Milk
- 50 g Egg, shelled
- 60 g Cheddar cheese
Egg mixture
- 70 g Sugar
- 8 g Baking powder
- 1 g Salt
- 80 ml Water
Cooking fat
- 15 ml Cooking oil (10 ml for batter, 5 ml for moulds)
02
Tools
- Steamer with lid and rack
- Twelve small heatproof moulds
- Bowl, whisk and sieve
- Measuring spoons, skewer and oven gloves
03
Steps
Step 1
Check rice flour
Measure 200 g ordinary rice flour, not glutinous flour, and check that the baking powder is fresh.
Step 2
Grease moulds
Grease twelve approximately 80 ml heatproof moulds with 5 ml oil total; arrange with gaps on the steamer rack.
Step 3
Cut cheese
Cut cheese into twelve small slices of similar thickness and set aside.
Step 4
Sift dry ingredients
Sift rice flour, baking powder and salt together into a bowl and mix to distribute the raising agent.
Step 5
Mix egg and milk
Whisk egg and sugar, then mix in milk, 80 ml water and 10 ml oil without whipping to a foam.
Step 6
Make smooth batter
Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and whisk until smooth with no dry pockets, scraping the bowl bottom without prolonged beating.
Step 7
Prepare boiling steamer
Boil water below mould level. Use a drip-resistant lid; any lid cloth must be secured well away from flames.
Step 8
Fill moulds
Immediately divide batter evenly between moulds, no more than three-quarters full, and tap gently to release large bubbles.
Step 9
Set the cakes
Place moulds over boiling water, cover and steam over medium-high heat for 12 minutes without opening.
Step 10
Add cheese
Open the lid away from you, place one cheese slice on each cake and steam covered for 3 minutes more.
Step 11
Test the centre
A skewer inserted into the centre should have no wet batter and the cake should spring back. Steam 2–3 minutes more if needed.
Step 12
Cool and unmould
Turn off heat, rest 2 minutes, remove moulds with gloves and cool slightly before loosening edges and serving warm.
Common mistakes
- Glutinous flour gives sticky cakes rather than this soft crumb.
- Full moulds overflow and cook unevenly.
- Condensation drops leave wet dents in the cakes.
- Unmoulding undercooked cakes leaves sticky collapsing centres.
Tips
This makes about twelve small cakes, three per person. Rice flours absorb differently, but the batter should pour thickly rather than form kneadable dough; confirm both 200 ml milk and 80 ml water were added. Larger moulds need longer steaming. Melted cheese alone does not prove the centres are cooked.
