Filipino Carioca

 I am so excited to be sharing this fantastic recipe from The lovely Abigail Sotto Raines’ new cookbook Rice. Noodles. Yum.  This great cookbook just came out a few days back and I got the chance to have a copy of it to check out! If you love southeast Asian food or if you have never tried making any recipes from the region before, it is worth checking out.  There are so many recipes in it that I am really excited to try out that range from fun noodle dishes to bite sized desserts such as this carioca recipe.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour

2 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

1 1/4 cups coconut milk

2 cups neutral cooking oil for deep-frying (more if needed)

1 can coconut cream

1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a bowl, mix the glutionous rice flour, sweetened shredded coconut, and coconut milk until a dough forms. Scoop out about a tablespoon of dough and shape into a ball. Repeat until all the dough is used up. A cookie dough scooper is helpful for this.

Heat the cooking oil in a saucepan over medium heat to about 350 degrees. To test if the oil is hot, dip skewer into it. When bubbles form around the skewer, the oil is ready. Fry the dough balls in batches for 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned all over. Scoop onto a strainer lined with paper towels to remove excess oil. Repeat until all the balls are cooked. Set aside.

In a saucepan, stir together the coconut cream, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. When it starts to boil, lower the heat slightly, stir and cook for 5-8 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.

Dip the balls into the sauce, or to avoid sticky fingers, thread about four balls onto a wooden skewer and pour the caramel sauce over. Serve individually or on skewers.

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