Kutsinta

Cuchinta

Alternative names	Cuchinta, kutsinta, kuchinta, kutchinta
Type	Rice cake
Course	Dessert, merienda, or snack
Place of origin	The Philippines
Serving temperature	Room temperature
Main ingredients	Tapioca or Rice flour, brown sugar, lye, grated coconut meat
Similar dishes	Mont kywe the, Kuih kosui
Media: Cuchinta

Puto cuchinta or kutsinta, is a type of steamed rice cake (puto) found throughout the Philippines. It is made from a mixture of tapioca or rice flour, brown sugar, and lye, enhanced with yellow food coloring or annatto extract, and steamed in small ramekins. It bears resemblance to the Burmese mont kywe the and Indonesian and Malaysian kuih kosui.

The cooked cakes are traditionally topped with fresh grated meat from mature coconut.¹ It is consumed year-round as a merienda or snack, and is frequently sold along with puto. Unlike its counterpart, which has a doughy texture, kutsinta has a jelly-like, chewy consistency. It has a very mild sweetness. It may be further sweetened by adding latik (coconut syrup) or a yema (sweet custard) dip.²