Glutinous Rice Snacks

betcha can't eat just one of these crispy chewy glutinous rice macapuno balls
Several months ago several readers emailed me asking if I can post the recipes for bilo-bilo, buchi, or bicho. These, I believe are variations of the Filipino snack made with glutinous rice and water or coconut milk formed into tiny balls or flat ovals usually boiled in coconut milk, or steamed, fried or baked. The balls I made today are a combination of several recipes I found online. I don't know what it should be called, I think glutinous rice balls or bilo-bilo are both okay. Or Crispy Chewy Sweeties. BTW, I prefer these tiny snacks without any sauce, except for the plains ones which I like with caramelized sauce flavored with a little soy sauce.

Macapuno Bilo-bilo
1 cup glutinous rice flour
½ cup water
½ cup chopped macapuno
light olive oil for frying
coconut sauce or brown sugar sauce (boil 1 cup brown sugar and ½ cup water until syrupy), optional

• In a mixing bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour and water until a dough is formed. Adjust water or flour as necessary. Add the macapuno to the dough and mix well.
• Form dough into 1½ inch balls and place on a platter.
• Heat half an inch of oil in a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Fry the dough balls a few pieces at a time until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with or without sauce.
• For simple bilo-bilo, omit macapuno and fry as above. Serve with preferred sauce.
• Variations: omit macapuno and add chopped sweetened ripe jackfruit or grated young coconut.
• Sauce variation: caramelize 1 cup white sugar and ½ water, add a few drops of soy sauce.

Buchi
1 cup boiled and mashed yellow mungbeans
1 cup sugar, or to taste
2 cups glutinous rice flour
¾ cup to 1 cup water
½ cup boiled and mashed taro
light olive oil for frying

• Combine mungbean and brown sugar. Form into 1-inch balls. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour and ¾ cup water until a stiff dough is formed. Add more water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix in the mashed taro.
• Form the rice taro dough into golf ball size rounds, flatten a little bit, place a mungbean ball in the middle, gather rice dough together and seal. Flatten to about half inch thick ovals.
• Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Serve immediately.
• Variation: fill with a mixture of sugar and toasted sesame seeds.
• Keep leftover mungbean paste in an airtight container and refrigerate.

eat them while they're hot and puffed