PANDAN PUTO CHEESE

2 cups cake flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs (beaten)

1 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup melted butter

cheddar cheese (sliced thinly in small strips about 1 cm wide and 2 cm long/ according to your preference)

1 tablespoon flavoring (pandan)

1 drop food coloring of choice (green)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and sugar) and combine in one large bowl.

2. Combine wet ingredients (milk, coconut milk, butter, eggs) in another smaller bowl. Mix.

3. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Add the flavoring and food coloring. Mix well.

4. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoon of the batter into the muffin pan/cupcake molds, until just about full.

5. Steam for about 7 minutes. Make sure to place a cheesecloth in between the puto cups/muffin pan and the lid of the steamer. This will help prevent water dripping onto your putos, which will not allow it to rise properly.

6. Place a strip of cheese on top of each puto, and continue steaming them for another 3 minutes. If you’re using processed quickmelting cheese, steam for just a minute.

7. Take the putos out of the steamer and let cool.

UPGRADES:

*Use rice flour. It will give a stickier texture.

**Use carabao (water buffalo) milk instead of evaporated milk. It will be creamier!

***Try adding a small cube of cream cheese and placing them in the puto molds right before you pour the batter in.

TIPS:

*Make sure that the water in the steamer is boiling before you put your filled muffin pans/ puto molds in.

**Silicon molds are the easiest to use. You can just pop the putos out without waiting for them to cool, and you can cram as many as you like in the steamer. Saves space compared to muffin pans!