Ube Buchi

Buchi or butsi is a sesame seed covered pastry made from glutinous rice flour with bean paste filling. It is another favorite Filipino dessert which is an adaptation of the Chinese Jin Deui.

We all love buchi…and yesterday, I tried making buchi for the first time. Instead of the commonly used red bean paste, I used ube (purple yam) paste for the filling. I was able to make 20 pieces of buchi…and now, they’re all gone!

Such a delectable treat that is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside! It’s really worth a try!

Prep Time: ~45 minutes*                Cook Time: ~5 minutes                    Yield 20 pcs. 
*including cooking the filling

* I shared this on Miz Helen's Country Cottage's Full Plate Thursday,  It's a Keeper Thursday and Sweeet Tooth Friday.

Ingredients:

Dough

• 3 ¼ cups glutinous rice flour
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¾ cup water
• ¾ cup sesame seeds
• 2 cups cooking oil

Filling:

• 1 cup haleyang ube (purple yam jam)

or

• ¾ cup frozen grated ube
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• ½ cup sugar

Procedure:

1. If not using ready-made haleyang ube: 
In a saucepan, mix filling ingredients. While stirring, cook over medium low heat until milk  evaporates and the mixture is too sticky to stir. This may take 30-45 minutes. Don't stop stirring if you don't want to burn your haleya! Remove from heat. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, mix glutinous rice flour, milk, sugar and water thoroughly to form a dough.

3. Scoop about 2 Tbsp dough and shape into a ball.

4. Press the center of the dough until it becomes hollow. Fill it with ½ Tbsp cooked ube. Seal and shape into a ball again.

5. Place the sesame seeds in a bowl then roll the dough balls over it one by one. Make sure that the seeds stick on the dough.

6. In a pan, over medium heat, deep fry the dough balls for about 4 minutes or until they turn light brown.

7. Remove the cooked buchi from the pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

8. Serve as snack or dessert!