Espasol is one of the popular rice cakes or kakanin in the Philippines. It stands alongside other popular rice cakes like Puto, Kutsinta, and Bibingka.
Espasol is a cylindrical- shaped rice cake made from rice flour and coconut milk. You’d recognize it through its packaging, it is usually wrapped in rolled paper or banana leaves. It is said to have originated from the province of Laguna although other provinces have their own version of espasol as well. It is normally sold in pasalubong stores and through bus vendors (if you’re a commuter).
In these recipe, we added some twists on the ingredients to make it more delicious than the original. Try making these yummy treats today!
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 & 1/2 cups toasted glutinous rice flour, reserve 1/2 cup for rolling
- 1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 2 cups vanilla soy milk (the original recipe uses coconut milk)
- 1 cup agave nectar (the original recipe uses 2 cups sugar)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zest
HOW TO COOK:
- In a saucepan, heat vanilla soy milk (or coconut milk) until it boils.
- Add in the agave nectar (you can also use sugar), vanilla extract, salt, shredded coconut and lemon zest. Stir until all is well- combined.
- Slowly add toasted glutinous rice flour, while continuously stirring to avoid clumps.
- Reduce heat to low and continue stirring and cooking until thick and the mixture is coming off the sides of the saucepan. This part could take from 10 minutes to as long as 1 hour. Remove from heat after.
- Dust your work surface with remaining rice flour. Transfer the espasol cake and let it cool to room temperature.
- Divide in equal portions and roll the espasol to form cylinders. (Alternatively, you can cut using a cookie cutter instead.)
- Wrap in paper or banana leaves until ready to eat.
- Enjoy!
IMAGE: luweehskitchencooking.blogspot.com
