Recently, a grand-uncle and his family came home to the Philippines from Canada and visited our house. We sort of had a mini reunion, which, for our family, means hours of storytelling in the dining room. The stories are usually in four languages alternating with each other — English, Tagalog, Ilocano, and Itawes. Unfortunately, I could only understand and speak the first two.
At some point — perhaps, when the stories were already purely in Ilocano and Itawes — my hands were itching to cook something — anything I could experiment on, and anything I would be able to serve the guests as well. We had Chinese food earlier for lunch, and we didn’t have dessert. So I decided to make a Chinese cuisine-inspired dessert. And what Chinese meal is complete without buchi?
Usually, buchi is made of glutinous flour (galapong/rice flour), sesame seeds, and lotus paste. I wanted a different twist. Instead of using lotus paste, I used chopped bittersweet chocolate as the filling. And the result: a unique and very delicious dessert.
It’s very easy to make: just dissolve the glutinous flour in water. Add a little butter and a pinch of salt. Form into balls — the size is up to you. But before completing the ball, insert the chopped chocolate — it melts when you cook it. Roll the ball in sesame seeds. Deep fry until golden brown.
For extra taste, made a strawberry syrup/dip. I simply used canned strawberry preserves, which were simmered in low heat for a few minutes. I believe this one’s optional. My folks loved the buchi even without the strawberry syrup.
Happy eating! A real treat to have and share with your loved ones.
can you please send me a copy of the recepi? it’s so yummy!thank you