Puto Maya a cooking lesson

puto maya cooker

While in Danao, we were very fortunate that The Girl’s neighbor Manang Clarita is a really good cook. First, she showed us to make puso. Then one lovely afternoon she showed us how to make puto maya. Puto maya is one of those kakanin or what I call awesome rice dishes to stuff your face! It is cooked in a claypot steamer (above). Yes, that is a claypot… Nang Clarita’s claypot has been well seasoned. She told us that you can use a regular steamer but just make sure to do something about the holes because the regular steamers holes are too big. I’ll have to give this a shot and let you know what works for me.

manang clarita

To make puto maya you will need the following ingredients:

1/2 kilo pilit (sticky rice) and tapol (black rice)
3 cups coconut milk
1/4 kilo sugar (this was an approximation… the number seems really big to me but the little plastic bag of sugar did seem like it was about 2 cups worth)
1 tablespoon salt
3 inch piece of ginger sliced thinly sliced

To prepare the coconut milk mixture: boil coconut milk. Add sugar, salt & ginger. Reduce the liquid until it is rich and thick (espiso).

stir the puto maya

Soak the sticky rice for about 3 hours. In a steamer lined with cheesecloth pour the pre-soaked sticky rice and black rice. Cover until cooked. Once the rice is done sprinkle the coconut milk mixture and folding the rice inside the pot. Continue adding the coconut milk mixture until desired texture is achieved.

banana leavesLet the rice cool down a little bit. Rip banana leaves into pieces about as wide as your palm.
banana leaf case for puto maya

Twist the leaves and create a small triangular pouch.

rice in banana leaves

Scoop in the rice (remember to take the ginger out! which I obviously did not).

puto maya plate

Fold the top flap and voila! Puto Maya!

puto maya with hot chocolate

This is a wonderful afternoon snack or breakfast. The puto maya tasted amazing! The ginger is the key to the ingredient list because it gives off that aroma and distinctive taste. Puto maya goes extremely well with Filipino hot chocolate!

Eat Filipino Food!


19 Responses to “Puto Maya a cooking lesson”

  1. This reminds me of my growing up days in the Philippines. I think we call it binatog in Quezon. Yum. How fascinating that food brings memories of the past. Thanks for this post!

  2. Wow, you really had an honest to goodness culinary experience during your trip home! I love your photos of this process too. I don’t think I’ve tasted puto maya yet. It sounds delicious!

  3. Forgive me if I sound like I have been living under a rock… but I’ve never come across a blog about Filipino food before. Oh I’m stayin’. Well done man… now I have to get food, you made me hungry.

  4. you forgot that it’s a trio for breakfast… puto maya, sikwate (local hot chocolate) and mangga, of course! hmmmnn…

  5. I am presently cooking puto maya for media noche. I think this recipe is ‘the’ one. Many thanks.

  6. paoix, I grew up in Mandaue and my mom and I think this ‘the one’. I forwarded the recipe to my sisters in New Jersey and in Adelaide, Australia. I will be trying out some of your recipes in the near future. Many thanks.

  7. Hi po,

    gandang umaga!

    ung mixture po ng pilit & tapol paano???
    nkalagay lng kasi is 1/2 kilo both pilit and tapol e, so paano un? hati? 1/4 pilit and 1/4 tapol?pls advice. tnx.

  8. thank you for this recipe. I am here in the U.S. and it’s been a long tym that I’ve been looking for the recipe of puto maya. Only today that I decided to search from the internet because I want to cook this kind of dessert since I have a mango and tableya for chocolate to go for it. I am craving for puto maya. Thanks again.

  9. now im craving for one. our neighbor is selling some for days now and up until now, i haven’t tried it.

  10. Pao, I am using this recipe while i cook the puto tonight. :) E save ni nga recipe ni Nang Clarita kay pinakalami ni xia.

  11. Wow! I like this website and I love puto maya. The step by step procedure with photos make it easy to cook and prepare this dessert. I love Filipino dessert and will definitely be trying your puto maya. Thanks a lot for sharing!

  12. Thoughtful and interesting, thank you. I grew up in manilla but moved to america at such a young age I barely remember anything apart from the delicious food. I finally found some authentic Filipino recipes if you want to take a look, I thought I’d share it with you!

  13. I made this recipe this morning and it was a success!! THANKS!

  14. Thanks, thats very useful to know! I must admit I’m a bit hopeless in the kitchen, but I’m trying my best to learn. Admitting is the first step to recovery right!!? I promised to cook a whole meal for my wife this weekend for the first time - very exciting! I found some simple recipe at this site, seems to be designed exactly for me, which is perfect! Anyway, thanks, I’ll be sure to subscribe to your site to read more.

  15. Antonieta V W Madrones Says:

    At last! I finally found the original way of cooking the puto maya. I’ve looking for this because my late Auntie Remegia insisted that puto maya is cooked by steaming. That you very much!

  16. wow its a nice recipe that i had been loking for you manang i like it to much bcz every morning of day its my favorite breakfast a puto maya of you

  17. Gil Hequilan Jr. Says:

    This poto maya is my favourite breakfast food with Hot chocolate when I’m still a small kid. I’ts really amizing combination. I’ll really miss this food. Thanks for posting this cause I’ll try to make it on my own… Thanks..

  18. [...] mom’s ninang is an amazing baker. She makes the best puto maya I’ve ever tasted. It’s basically sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf topped with [...]

  19. madsni flores Says:

    thanks for the recipe. i’ve seen other websites, showing how to make puto maya, but this is the authentic way of cooking puto maya.

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