On the heels of my easy and relatively successful bibingka made with all purpose flour
(see previous post), I decided to attempt both a Bibingkang Galapong (rice flour) and Bibingkang Malagkit (glutinous rice) this afternoon. I scheduled the bibingka-fest for about 3p.m. and everything was ready when I got home. The cook had been to the market earlier in the day and came home with galapong (rice flour, though ideally, it should be pre-soaked rice grains that are then ground up, not just dry rice flour). The weather turned an ugly dark gray and rain dampened the whole effort, literally. But not to be deterred, we kept at it, wondering if highly wet surroundings had any adverse impact on bibingkas…
First up, the bibinkang galapong. In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of thick galapong with 1 cup of granulated white sugar. If using rice flour, you need to add about ½ cup of water to the mixture 
later to obtain the right consistency. Next add 2 to 2.5 cups of coconut milk, the water mentioned earlier if using dry rice flour, about 1/3 cup of melted butter, 6 eggs that have been lightly beaten and 5 teaspoons of baking powder. Mix this well and adjust volume of liquid if it looks too thick. It should look like a nice thicker pancake batter. Let this rest for about ½ hour while you futz with the coals for the bibingkahan. When you are ready to bake, place a round cut-out of banana leaves at the bottom of the clay pot and add some of the batter and place the hot coals on top as well. I made this plain, with quesong puti (on reader Gigi’s request) and with salted eggs. About 2/3 of the way through cooking, I brushed the surface with melted butter. Add sugar if you desire. Serve with lots of freshly grated young coconut. The results were very good. Frankly, the flavor was great, but I had trouble cooking it just right this time around. Some of the bottoms were a bit burned and the top crust refused to brown as much as I would have liked. Nevertheless they were a definite triumph considering I have never made this before!
Emboldened, I decided to attempt a Bibingkang Malagkit which turned out 
to be an absolute disaster! It looks okay in the photograph here but other than the nice burnt sugar on top, it tasted downright gross, not to mention the hardening Elmer’s glue-like consistency of the bibingka. Yuck. I won’t give you the recipe I used as obviously it did not work at all. I have never actually had a bibingkang malagkit to my knowledge so I wasn’t even sure what I was trying to create! At any rate 2 bibingkas out of 3 isn’t a bad batting average for a neophyte! Do not substitute glutinous rice flour for the flour or galapong versions I have described or you may end up with a snot-like mess! Have a good weekend everyone!
17 Responses
MM, i think bibingkang malagkit is not cooked in a bibingkahan. if i remember right, it is cooked much like your biko- in a big kawali, with lots of coconut milk and plenty of arm-breaking stirring. am i right, or am i describing the making of espasol? now i’m confused.
This galapong version of yours is closest to the traditional bibingka I think and if I recall accurately even the variety and age of rice used was crucial to its success and the weather plays a role only if you were depending entirely on natural yeast for levening. That’s why professional bebingquera(o)s use the same unwashed eathenware vessel over and over again to seed their galapong. So you are half way there for Christmas.
millet, what you are describing is kalamay hati to us ilonggos or plain kalamay to tagalogs.
Binggka in Iloilo, if I remember correctly, is made from half plain rice and half malagkit, with tender coconut (buko) and cooked as bibingka described above, albiet in smaller containers so they look like individual servings, although I consume a number of them at any time; they are that good.
maybe the malagkit was pure and you have to do a half-half. half malagkit and half regular rice. when we make suman, we use half-half otherwise, the suman would be too soft and hard to manipulate
Actually, everyone is probably partially right. The recipe specified that I first cook the coconut milk and malagkit in a kawali until very thick as Millet describes, but before your arm falls off, it goes into the banana leaves and is cooked as the other bibingkas were cooked, topped with coconut cream and brown sugar. However, I think I overdid the liquid in the original mixture and, well, the mixing on the stove didn’t go too smoothly, literally, so I ended up with that snotty mess… I am now intrigued by this half and half rice/malagkit suggestion. Others also advise me they use tuba or other alcoholic brew to help the dough rise in lieu of baking powder… ahhh, so much to learn… so much to learn…
The galapong-bibingka photo looks so appetizing I will definitely try cooking it tomorrow when I go to the garden house. (Hopefully it doesn’t rain. Can’t imagine having live coal in my flat. Oh, the disadvantages of living in a flat! The neighbors do mind your business.) I remember Ferino’s Bibingka. Does Ferino’s still exist?
BTW, I told Nancy Reyes-Lumen and other members of Filipino Food Lovers Group to visit your weblog. They were impressed! Now Nancy and some other members plan to go to Plaridel, Bulacan (where I come from) to try my town’s specialties like goto and putong puti (from galapong), preserved kamias, suha, etc. She wanted to know if you would be interested to join them.
Question – hindi ba puwedeng gumamit ng malagkit powder to make bibingka identical to bibingkang galapong? I can see the softness and texture of bibingkang galapong but bibingkang malagkit parang mukhang kalamay kuhit. Can anyone provide the reasons why bibingkang malagkit did not turn out soft and fluffy? I’m sure we have some experts that can provide answer and the proper way to do it. Ano ba iyan, ginugutom ako palagi sa site na ito!!!
Wow. Those bibingkas sure do look great!
That’s one of the things I REALLY miss about the Philippines. Once in a blue moon here in California I’ll come across a restaurant or store that sells bibingka, but it’s never the same quality as the ones back home…
Apicio is right. There are some elements to make up the authentic bibingka. One is the variety of rice and the leavening agent. I remember, the bibingka vendor in our place, they saved a cup or two of their galapong for the next day’s bibingka batch. Also, they kept their galapong in a palayok which we all know is made out of clay. It is my belief there is an enzyme in the clay that acts like a leavening agent. Their galapong has a sour aroma. Your rice flour – galapong version looks very authentic and delicious. Nice try for a first timer galapong bibingka maker. I salute you with great honor for the entire laboring oar you put forth in this big endeavor. Thank you for researching and executing one of our most valuable culinary repertoire of all times.
That bibingkang galapong really looks very good and so authentic! You write about recipes that have never been properly recorded, and that to me is an important contribution to the preservation of our culture. To us who have left home, your blog is an important source of information for Filipino food that we miss so much.
I am hoping that you will pick up putong-puti as your next cooking challenge. I am trying to replicate the traditional puto that I remember, not the baking powder and flour kind that bakeshops pass off as puto. There is a fermentation process for making the puto that I am not too clear about. A friend told me that you can use a bit of yeast to hasten the process, but I have not tried this yet. The last manapla puto I did was a disaster, I am not ready for another attempt at this time.
Keep on blogging!
Traditional Filipino recipes should be passed on from generation to generation. Somebody please document all these…go back to our oldies, provinces, interview, ask WHY a certain ingredient or procedure…and document! I’m impressed with the comments. I’m teary-eyed with all these bibingka, suman, puto. sniff,sniff…I got to get my children eat more of them and really KNOW them by heart! I certainly will revive my family’s tradition of making suman sa lihiya every All Saint’s Day and palitaw at the stroke of midnight of December, 31…my late Aunt times her palitaw right at the stroke of midnight…ahhhh…family, traditions…got to keep them in our album of happy memories and pass this on…I think these are what keep us all rooted to our culture.
i suggest using duck eggs instead of chicken for your bibingka……very very rich….sarap…sarap….
MM,I’m impressed and starving!
Now that’s the bibingka I love — galapong! To be honest, MM, I could immediately tell the difference from the pictures which one used galapong and which used the regular flour. The exterior surface and interior texture are very different, as well as the color. This looks delish, MM! I like mine with lots of quezo de bola and kesong puti, no red eggs, and slathered with tons of melting butter (NOT margarine).
Commercially, I think Via Mare makes the best bibingkang galapong, by far. For a while they made a version with mozzarella and chocolate which was yummy, but that didn’t last long on the menu.
i like bibingka malagkit better.. that’s the one na parang biko right? sticky rice w/ a think, caramel-like topping? yummy.. :)
Where can I call if I want to order bibingkang galapong. Or is it possible to know the price?
pls send me the recipe of bibingka……