In search for the best Puto

Puto is steamed rice cake and it’s a very popular snack or dessert in the Philippines. You can eat it on its own or paired with savory or sweet dishes. There are many kinds of puto and these are just some the more popular ones.

This is the more traditional type of puto commonly found in places that sell pansit malabon. It’s a common thing to pair carbs with carbs in the Philippines. Puto becomes the perfect partner for pansit malabon.

This puto is very soft yet firm. It’s has just the right amount of sweetness. The cheese on top is nice and salty and provides a nice contrast in flavor.

from nanay’s pancit malabon P10

This is pansit malabon or rice noodles with shrimp gravy. My favorite is from Pansit Malabon Express. Imagine eating a rice cake with rice noodles. Way to go!

pancit malabon

Puto Calasiao is my favorite puto. It comes from Pangasinan a province not far from Manila. It’s bite-sized and made from semi-glutinous rice that is fermented in earthen jars. The texture is a bit sticky and chewy. It’s sold wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed in a paper bag. You can find it being sold along some sidewalks in Manila. I bought this in DEC Chinese deli.

puto calasiao P35

Try eating this puto with a dollop of Jif extra crunchy peanut butter. It’s outrageously good. Really!

puto with peanut butter

This is my second favorite puto. I bought this puto and the pancit malabon pictured above from Pancit ng Taga Malabon in Greenhills. It’s the only branch that sells this puto. I later found out this puto came from Rocha’s Delicious Puto & Kutsinta. It’s a cross between puto and kutsinta. It’s a bit chewy and has cheese on top. Once you try this you can’t stop yourself from eating piece after piece until it’s all gone.

P100 a pack

Don’t forget putong ube which I wrote about before.

Michelle’s putong ube

This is kutsinta, a brown rice cake. What makes is different from puto is the addition of lye water. The texture and taste is totally different from puto. It’s very smooth and gelatinous. It’s usually eaten with grated coconut. I bought this kutsinta from a stall in Unimart.

Nanay’s Pancit Malabon

37 Gov. Pascual Ave, Concepcion, Malabon

telephone: 281-0449

Pancit Ng Taga Malabon

(behind Automatic Center)

Greenhills Shopping Center

telephone: 724-4980

DEC – Diao Eng Chay Chinese Deli
203 Wilson St., Greenhills
telephone:721-1105

Rocha’s Delicious Puto & Kutsinta

595 E. Mendoza St. Paliparan Subd.,

Sto. Nino, Marikina City

telephone: 941-1519