Puto or the so-called rice cakes delicacy is another very popular Filipino delicacy or kakanin. It is served on the Filipino table for breakfast or merienda. They even served as a panghimagas from the main course.
Puto comes in different varieties. It may come in different sizes like huge, small, or the tiny ones. It also comes in different colors - white, yellow, pink, violet, green... all colors that you may think out. And yes, it also comes in different servings - it can be blended with other stuffs like niyog, sugar, mascuvado, condensed milk, butter, and cheese.
And just like other dish or delicacies, our very own Puto is of different kinds based on the ingredients used on it. There is the regular puto - a plain white puto topped with coconut flakes; a puto cheese wherein a melted cheese blends with the product; and the so called puto calasiao - a type of rice cake which is made from malagkit or sticky rice instead of the rice flour used in the regular puto. And what's exciting about this puto calasiao is that it originates from Pangasinan. Hence it is named as "Calasiao" since Calasiao is a popular province in Pangasinan famous for making rice cakes, kutsinta, and other Pinoy delicacies.
During our trip in Pampanga, another type of puto was served to us. It seems like a regular puto or rice cake but with a slice of cheese on top of it. What made it different from puto cheese? Well, the usually puto cheese is made of 'melted' cheese put on top of the rice cake. In the puto served to us, a solid cheese slice was on top of it.
Here is the said puto or rice cake served to us during our trip:
To make it more unique or sounds cuter, I just named it as "Puto Keso" or puto with keso! They were served in this huge plate and it is good for a group of people. It can serve 3 to 5 people in the table.
Though most of the rice cakes seen or sold in the market come in different colors, our puto with keso only comes in white color. Actually we can name it as "Putong Puto with Keso!"
Aside from the slice of cheese put on top of these rice cakes, what adds more taste and flavor on this Pinoy delicacy is the niyog or coconut flakes poured on it! You also have a choice of adding white sugar on these yummy rice cakes!
And just like other delicacies or kakanin, these tiny yet yummy puto with keso are best served with your choice of beverages. In our case, we paired it with hot coffee and hot chocolate! But during merienda where the heat of the sun is irresistible, a cold blend or an ice-cold sago't gulaman is a best match! And if you love juices, orange juice, buko juice, mango juice, or pineapple juice can also a best substitute. What more, fruit shakes (my favorites) like watermelon shake, ripe mango shake, guava shake, or banana shake can be teamed up with puto for full satisfaction!
Puto, puto, puto specially with keso ... a Pinoy delicacy or kakanin that everyone of us cannot resist! We will taste more of it when we visit the other places! :)
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