Buchi

The Filipino palette has adapted the taste of Chinese cuisine and the dishes have become normal to the Philippines. Just like other Asian countries, Philippines is a rice eating country. Other than having rice and viande, Filipinos are also considered to have a sweet tooth. A good example of the aforementioned adjusted palette and sweet tooth is the very famous Chinese dessert, buchi.

This dish was originally made in the Far East. It is a fried Chinese pastry made from glutinous rice flour. Shaped like a small ball, coated with sesame seeds with a red bean paste filling. It might sound complicated but it is actually very easy to prepare. You wouldn’t even break a sweat (trivial). Eating out in a Chinese restaurant would not be complete without buchi closing your meal!

Ingredients:

3 cups rice flour

1 to 1 1/3 cup boiling water

¾ cup brown sugar

Oil for deep frying

Sesame seeds

2/3 cup dried red beans
water for boiling
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil for frying

Procedure:
1.) Wash beans, put them in a saucepan, cover with water and allow to boil for about 2 hours or until very soft (add more water if needed)
2.) Drain water, process boiled red beans in the blender until smooth/ mash, add sugar, mix well.
3.) Heat oil in a pan, add processed beans over medium-low heat for a few minutes until paste-like in consistency, cool before using, refrigerate left-overs

4.) Add brown sugar to boiling water and dissolve

5.) Make a well at the center of the rice flour then pour in the center the sugar mixture.  Mix together until you form a dough.  Make small balls then make an indentation at the middle and place red bean paste (balled) in the middle and seal the edges tightly- should be free from cracks to avoid any spill.  

6.) Dip in water then roll in sesame seeds until completely covered.  Heat oil over medium low heat to avoid burning the sesame seeds and for even cooking.  

7.) Drop each ball not crowding the pan continue to fry over low heat until brown then remove from oil.

-Abigail Lallave