#36: Macing's Year-Round Puto Pumbong

This is the "bumbong" used to cook this
rice cake. Nice picture from Female Network!

Puto Bumbong is a classic Filipino rice cake snack that is most popular during Christmas time. Over the years, it has become a traditional snack for those who are attending the early morning Christmas mass that starts from December 16 to 25. This rice cake is made from a special kind of purple sticky rice called Pirurutong. The rice is soaked in salted water, dried and ground then placed in a narrow bamboo called bumbong then steamed. It is then placed on a banana leaf and served slathered with butter, shaved coconut, ground raw sugar also known as muscovado and sometimes, grated cheese. This is officially my favorite rice cake variety. Nothing beats the warm, soft texture of the cake, this made more lavish by the creamy butter, the milky coconut and the sharp, melt-in-your-mouth sweetness of the muscovado. Oh yeah. Then the cheese... This must be the gate of rice cake heaven.

If I had my choice, I will want to eat this regularly all year round. But as I mentioned earlier, these only litter the streets during Christmas. And lately, the really good puto bumbongs have gotten far and few in between. Most of the puto bumbongs sold during Christmas has mostly become imitation versions. They don't use pirurutong anymore. They just use the regular sticky rice and color it purple. Baaaah! I had no choice but to endure the longing until the next Christmas season. That was my plight until my husband introduced me to Macing's.

He brought me there one summer day I think. He said it was a very popular puto place in the district of Tandang Sora, Quezon City. When I got there, I was amazed that the popular place looked more like a makeshift roadside hut under a tree. There was nothing glamorous about the place... until I tasted their puto bumbong! 

Filipino Recipes got this picture of the
Puto Bumbong the way I like it - with cheese!

Their excellent puto bumbong was what made the place glamorous. I ordered their special - the one with cheese of course. Between mouthfuls of their fantastic rice cake, I learned that what I was eating was gracing the dining halls of popular hotels in Metro Manila like the one starting with S! Only if you eat them there, you'll pay triple. Their puto bubmbong is ordered by different caterers and are brought to places all over the city. How lucky I am! I am eating the puto bubmbong of swanky hotels right there in that humble hut and for only P35! Right now, I'm just focusing on their puto bumbong although their bibingka is also fantastic. For P70 for their large special, I'll choose this over Ferino's anytime. Still, if you are after a full merienda, they won't fail you with their goto and mami with all the additions like the tokwa't baboy (fried tofu and pork), twalya, mata ng baka (oh yeah, you can find that exotic treat there) and sometimes, spring rolls.

The best part about their puto bumbong is that it is available the whole year. Authentic purple goodness is just a ride away from our home. I loooove it! And because I am kind, I'll share this goodness with you. They already moved from their hut to a nicer, more visible location about 200 meters away from the origonal location. Macing's Puto Bumbong is in Congressional Ext. corner Tandang Sora Ave, Quezon City.  They do catering services and accept bulk orders. Visit them here, right where the green arrow is:

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Enjoy your Christmas snack!