½cupshredded unsweetened coconuttoasted in a dry pan until golden
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the base and mix until very smooth. Divide equally into 3 small bowls.
Add the Ube flavoring to one bowl. To the next, add turmeric powder and 1 tablespoon sugar. Then, leave the other bowl plain. Make sure you dissolve the turmeric powder well. I usually strain the mixture through a fine sieve before steaming, especially the yellow part.
Prepare the steamer by adding water. Turn the heat to medium while you prepare the molds. Liberally brush an 8x3 inch pan with oil. Pour the purple batter first and steam for 15 minutes. Then, pour the yellow layer on top and cook for 15 minutes. Lastly, do the same with the white batter but steam it for 20 minutes. Check to make sure the Sapin Sapin is set and cooked through.
Carefully remove from the steamer and unmold. Top with toasted shredded coconut.
Notes
*Fresh coconut milk can be used. Just use the thin coconut milk, not the first extraction.**You can use yellow food coloring instead of the Turmeric. Just omit the additional 1 tablespoon sugar.***Strain the mixture particularly the yellow (turmeric) layer as the tiny specks of powder remain visible even after thoroughly mixing.***For small individual molds, fill the molds to fill almost ⅓ of the purple layer then steam for 5 minutes. Repeat the same step with the yellow layer then white will be the last.*** Cook the last layer longer (about 8-10mins) to make sure everything’s cooked through. You can use bigger pans as mold like an 8x3 inch cake pan, loaf pan ,etc. Just equally divide batter into 3 and cook each layer for at least 15 minutes or until the layer is set. I usually add at least 5 minutes of cooking time to the last layer to make sure everything is cooked through.****Liberally brush the pan with oil especially for bigger molds (as they tend to stick more) for easier unmold.