BIKO WITH RED MONGO BEANS

This Filipino dessert has always become a favorite everytime I bring this dessert to a potluck. It was a hit when I cooked this for our class reunion. Everyone was asking for the recipe and I was just glad to share the recipe with everybody. This dessert also travels well if you freeze overnight. My friend in Seattle, got this as a present from me by airmail. She enjoyed my biko from our reunion in California.

Biko:
3 cups black sweet rice ( get this from any Oriental store, usuallythe product comes from Thailand) soak the black sweet rice at least overnight or for at least 3 hours.
2 cups malagkit rice ( regular sweet rice )
1 can of coconut milk
1 box of dark brown sugar

Procedure:I usually use the same cup used in cooking rice which I think is a bit smaller than the regular cup. Wash the white malagkit rice and combine with soaked black sweet rice. Use the liquid leftover from cooking the latik and additional water if necessary. Use less liquid (than regular rice) since you will still add coconut milk later. Cook in rice cooker the same way you cook rice. Allow to cool.Empty the can of coconut milk and combine with dark sugar. Allow sugar to completely melt and then add the cooked black and white sweet rice. Stir until the rice has completely absorbed the sweetenedcoconut milk. Add cooked red beans and then pour to shallow dish. Flatten the biko with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Make diagonal shallow cuts and add the latik for decoration.

Sweet Red mongo:You can buy the cooked version from Oriental stores or you can prepare it from scratch. Buy the dried red beans and soak overnight. Cook the red beans in water under slow fire for at least 1 - 2 hours until the beans get soft. Add 2 cups sugar when red beans get soft enough to becrushed between fingers, stir until sugar is dissolved. Just make sure the red beans is really really soft before adding sugar, otherwise, it will harden when sugar is added if the beans is not fully cooked.

Latik:
2 cans of coconut milk - use the creamy part only.
Set aside the liquid for use in cooking the black and white malagkit. Cook on stove top under medium heat until all liquid has evaporated. If you see the coconut meat starts to brown, make sure you stir so that it won't burn. Stay close to the stove. Make sure your stir every now and then until all the coconut meat turns all light brown. Remove excess oil and allow to cool.