Pichi Pichi, a chewy cassava cake, is another steamed dessert favorite among Filipinos. This dessert is rolled in grated coconut, and it requires minimal ingredients. You can find the grated cassava ingredient just in the frozen section of Asian markets. 🙂
Ingredients using grated cassava:
- 2 cups cassava
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ tsp lye water (or baking soda solution)
- ½ tsp pandan extract
- Grated coconut
Ingredients using cassava flour (substitute):
- 2 cups cassava flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups water
- ½ tsp pandan extract
Directions:
- Take your 2 cups of grated cassava (or the cassava flour substitute). Combine this with the sugar, 1 cup of water, and ½ tsp lye water. (For the substitute to lye water, create a baking soda solution by boiling ¼ tsp baking soda and 1 cup of water for 5 minutes.)
- Add the pandan extract, which although it is optional, I recommend not skipping. And now, we’re ready to prepare these for steaming.
- Take some small glass bowls and pour in about 2 tbsp of the pichi pichi mixture into each bowl, or at least to get an even amount of in each bowl. Make sure you stir the pichi pichi mixture frequently to maintain a consistent ratio of cassava to liquid.
- Grab your steamer, and start boiling water in the bottom pot. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat to low. Next, place as many of the filled glass bowls and can fit in each steamer basket, and then cover the lid. These will steam perfectly for about 45 minutes, or for longer if you put more mixture into your bowls than I did.
- Once they are finished steaming, remove the pichi pichi bowls and allow them to cool for a few minutes before touching. They should smell pretty delicious by now.
- For the final step, use a rubber spatula to scoop the pichi pichi out of their bowls. Then, coat the pichi pichi with freshly grated coconut (or dried coconut shreds, which are also fine) until they are completely covered in coconut.
And that is IT! You’ve got a beautiful, lovely pile of pichi pichi to enjoy with your friends and family. 🙂