Sapin Sapin Recipe – Anyone who is a fan of coconut or glutinous rice snacks will love sapin sapin. Sapin sapin is a layered glutinous rice and coconut dessert in Philippine cuisine. The dish is made with rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, water, flavoring and coloring. It generally has three layers and topped with latik. Each layer has a different flavor. Usually though, only two out of the three layers has flavoring. In addition, the typical colors for this dish are purple, orange/yellow, and white. The purple is flavored with ube halaya while the orange/yellow layer is flavored with jackfruit. It is usually the white layer that has no flavoring but there are versions that flavor it with coconut.
The flavorings are more common with homemade sapin sapin though. With commercial sapin sapin, the layers are simply dyed with food coloring. When making this dish, it is mostly mixing the right ingredients until it reaches the right consistency and layering. If you want to try something to indulge any craving for coconut or something with glutinous rice, test out this sapin sapin recipe:
Sapin Sapin
Ingredients
- 2 cups glutinous rice flour
- 4 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 7 oz. 1/2 can condensed milk
- 1/2 cup ripe jackfruit
- 3/4 cup mashed purple yam
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ube extract
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil or coconut oil
- Violet food coloring
- Yellow food coloring
- 1/4 cup latik
Instructions
Making the Layers
- In a large mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice flour and sugar. Mix well.
- Pour in the condensed milk, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until the texture becomes smooth.
- Divide the mixture into 3 parts.
- Add the mashed purple yam and ube extract to the first part along with the violet food coloring. Stir thoroughly and then set aside.
- Shred the jackfruit (without the seed) in a food processor. Add the processed jackfruit to the second part along with the yellow coloring and then mix well. Set aside. Note: leave the 3rd part as it is.
Cooking the Layers
- Arrange the steamer on your stovetop and pour in about 1 quart of water. Turn on the heat and let the water boil.
- Grease a round baking pan by brushing cooking oil or coconut oil.
- Pour in the first part (colored violet) on the greased baking pan. Make sure that the mixture settles. Cover the baking pan with cheesecloth and then steam for 12 to 16 minutes.
- Remove the baking pan and then pour in the white mixture. Use a spatula to spread it on top of the violet mixture. Remove excess water from the cheesecloth by squeezing it. Put it back on the baking pan. Steam for another 12 to 16 minutes.
- Remove the baking pan from the steamer and then pour in the yellow mixture. Spread the mixture over the succeeding one using a spatula. Try to remove the excess water again from the cloth and then put it back on the baking pan. Steam for 15 to 20 minutes. If you think that the mixture is still a bit runny, try to steam for 5 minutes more.
Stacking the Layers
- Arrange a clean banana leaf over a wide serving plate. Brush coconut or cooking oil on the leaf. Use a spatula (brushed with oil) and gently run on the side of the baking pan to prevent the mixture from sticking. Turn the baking pan over the banana leaf and let the cooked sapin-sapin fall.
- Brush oil on top of the sapin-sapin (the violet part should be on top). Sprinkle with latik.
Other Notes for a Sapin Sapin Recipe
There are plenty of ways to make your sapin sapin dish even better. For example, if you want to add more flavoring, you can actual ube and jackfruit to the mix. Around 1/2 cup of mashed cooked ube and 1/4 cup finely chopped jackfruit (langka) added to their respective layers will do the trick. If you want to make the layers a more vibrant color, an additional 3-4 drops of extract will help.
When it comes to avoiding issues with your sapin sapin, there are different tricks that can help. To avoid the sticky rice from clinging to the pan, make sure to liberally grease the inner sides and bottom of the. You can also use wilted banana leaves to line the pan or parchment paper. Aside from this, make sure to only cover the kalamay when it is completely cool. If you don’t you’re likely to end up with pools of ater on top of your cake.
Similar Dishes
Several dishes in Filipino cuisine feature glutinous rice and coconut. If you want something on the simpler side, you should try “Suman sa Lihiya“. It is another dish that is made with coconut milk and gets topped with latik as an option. Compared to sapin sapin, it has no extra flavoring or layers. To get more flavors, you should try “Pichi Pichi Cassava“. It is steamed cassava flour balls mixed with sugar and lye. The difference with this dish is that you can roll it in coconut, cheese, or latik.
Aside from the combination of glutinous rice and coconut, you’ll find that ube is a popular flavor in Filipino desserts. Some ube treats you can try include “Ube Turon” and “Ube Maja Blanca.” If you want to go for another brightly colored dessert, try “Cassava Cake.” Another option you can explore is a simple rice dessert like “Suman Malagkit” or “Tupig.”