On the left, what I typically refer to as pinipig. It’s young glutinous rice that’s been pounded and dried. You need to either dry toast it in a pan to crisp it up, or bake it in an oven until crisp.
It’s color is often greener than it naturally should be, either rubbed between banana leaves (as Millet once wrote on this blog) or with added green food coloring. In it’s natural state, it has just a tinge of green I would imagine. But toasted, it turns a light off white or tan (unless colored). This is to be treated separately from Duman, a delicacy from the plains of Luzon that takes green palay which is toasted or roasted then crushed or pounded. Karen of Pilgrims Pots and Pans has a wonderful post on authentic duman.
On the right is a bowl of what many also call pinipig, but which I personally think is more of a “puffed” rice. Rice grains (not necessarily glutinous) are steamed or boiled then dried/baked and sometimes fried until puffed. Both are often sold as “pinipig”. But then again, I could be wrong, I am not a pinipig authority. I bought some of the “left” pinipig at the Nasugbu market last week as Sister was searching for it, to make a childhood favorite pinipig cookie with a basic butter batter and toasted pinipig added in. My version up next.
11 Responses
i love bibingkang pinipig, especially the one made with the green kind. waiting for your pinipig cookies recipe too.
once watched a show on the food network – reza prince of spices of thailand (the country in the title varies) – which showed how puffed rice is made in the chiang mai region – rice with husk intact, is heated (without oil nor water) in a huge carajay (akin to our own kawa) and then rice is separated from the chaff by sifting methods, and then mixed with syrup of sugar and coconut milk and then cooled, molded and cut into rectangles…
You can sub pinipig too instead of cornflakes to make a NO BAKE COOKIE with just 4 ingredients. It will become a crowd pleaser ESP. SUPER BOWL day!
Millet….I make a cookie I call GRANOLA BUTTERCRUNCH COOKIE! You guys can google it but you will not find it for I made it up! What it is, is a shortbread type of cookie but instead of white sugar, I use brown sugar, then mix in my homemade granola and spread it in a cookie sheet, and sprinkle with more granola at random places using a rolling pin. Then bake at 325 for about 20 minutes till light beige in color. Cut into little squares or bars and give them away and you will surely become your block’s favorite kapitbahay!
But instead of granola, sub the puffed pinipig! Oh…anyone wishing to try my Granola Buttercrunch cookie using granola, do not use the clumpy ones. Those ones, we snack on them. But when I make granola, some become like crumbs and those are the ones I use for the cookie.
will definitely make those, bettyq! i was always frustrated with my shortbread cookies because they never ended up tasting the same as my favorite brand until i switched to an imported butter brand. now i’m happy!
I would love to have a bowl of pinipig with milk and sugar. That should be something I have to do on my next vacation.
we usually use the green pinipig with matamis na kamoteng kahoy and gata. yummy!
ohh Lee, pinipig with milk and sugar! used to have this as childhood snacks when the rice harvest season starts…
I like the green pinipig in a bowl of warm milk (just enough to soak the pinipig) + a sprinkle of sugar + a pinch of salt
It’s comfort food. I usually get that kind of pinipig in Batangas as well.
MM…a Vietnamese friend made a shrimp paste pork paste and coated a prawn with it and rolled it on their green rice flakes that looks like Duman. Then deep fried…it was sooooooo good! She owns a restaurant now but when she went to Vietnam for a visit, she gave me a small pack. Maybe you can try making it with green pinipig.
hi i am brian,
i am in quezon city manila, and i like to know where i can buy rhubarb????
if there is a phone number that i can contact ??