1cup250g dark palm sugar, chopped into smaller pieces
Instructions
Combine glutinous rice and water in a medium pot (with lid). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook (covered) for 10-12 minutes. Liquid will mostly be absorbed at this point and the rice will be somewhat soft but still not totally done.
While the rice is cooking, prepare a large pan (preferably nonstick) and add in one can coconut milk, brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil on medium heat and add the half-cooked glutinous rice. Using 2 wooden spoons, mix very well and cook until all the coconut mixture is fully absorbed by the rice and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Transfer to a baking pan ( I used a 9x2 inch cake pan lined with banana leaves)
Preheat the oven to 375F.
To make Latik Topping: In (another) medium saucepan, combine palm sugar and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and cook until very thick (uncovered) and sauce is reduced to about a cup (or a little less). Pour over the prepared biko.
Bake*** for 25 minutes or until latik (thick coconut topping) is set and bubbling. Switch to broil (optional) for a couple of minutes if you want a little bit of browning on top. Watchcarefully as sugar burns easily. Cool a bit before serving.
Notes
*I used sweet glutinous rice which has short, rounder grains (but long-grain is fine). I noticed that the sweet glutinous rice has a better chewy texture than the regular one.**You can line the inside of your baking pan with parchment paper instead of banana leaves. If using, cut 2 pieces of leaves measuring two inches more than the size of the baking pan.Gently wash under hot tap water to make it pliable. Wipe and use as directed.***If you prefer not to bake the topping, cook the latik longer and reduce it just enough to cover the top of the pan.****You can use other baking pans but this recipe fits well on a 8 or 9 inch pans (round or square). This can also be divided between 2-3 Leche Flan llaneras, depending on the size of your mold.