Desserts
Easy
Sweet donut
55 min
Jams and Sweets
Medium
Recipe of Belekoy
By
Diego Cortés
Belekoy is a Filipino sweet from the province of Bulacan: a chewy dough of glutinous rice flour cooked in a syrup of brown sugar, water and apple juice, cut into bars and rolled in toasted sesame seeds. Crisp outside and elastic inside, with a nutty flavour that brings nougat to mind but softer.
In the Philippines it is a roadside treat: for decades it was sold wrapped in wax paper at provincial bus stops, next to boiled peanuts. The homemade version needs no oven: a heavy saucepan, a square tray and 20 minutes of prep. The trick that sets it apart from other rice sweets is toasting the flour before cooking it, because that is where the nutty aroma comes from.
Why you will like it
- No oven: it all cooks in the pan and sets in the tray.
- Pantry ingredients: glutinous rice flour, brown sugar, water, apple juice and sesame seeds.
- Makes 20 bars and keeps for a week in an airtight tin.
- Gluten free (glutinous rice flour has none) and easy to adapt with toasted peanuts.
If you like sesame sweets, try this Jijona nougat; to keep exploring Filipino cooking, this Filipino adobo; and for the story behind the dish, what belekoy is.
Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Servings
20
Calories
125 kcal
Ingredients
Directions
-
1
Toast the glutinous rice flour in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it loses its bright white colour and smells nutty; tip it into a bowl and let it cool.
-
2
Toast the 50 g of sesame seeds for the dough in the same skillet for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until golden, and set aside. Toast the 70 g for the coating the same way, 1 minute longer, so they stay crunchier.
-
3
Grease a 20 x 20 cm square tray with neutral oil and line the base with baking paper.
-
4
In a heavy saucepan combine the brown sugar, water, apple juice, salt and vanilla, and cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
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5
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the toasted flour in three batches, stirring hard with a wooden spoon so no lumps form.
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6
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes without stopping stirring, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and looks thick, glossy and elastic.
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7
Add the butter, the 50 g of toasted sesame seeds and the peanuts if using, and mix for 1 minute until fully combined.
-
8
Pour the dough into the greased tray and flatten it with a greased spatula, or with wet hands, to about 1.5 to 2 cm thick.
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9
Cool at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until firm and no longer sticky to the touch.
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10
Turn it out onto a board and cut 4 x 2 cm bars with a greased knife; you should get about 20.
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11
Roll each bar in the remaining 70 g of toasted sesame seeds, pressing gently so the seeds stick on all sides.
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12
Store the bars in an airtight container, separated with baking paper, for up to one week at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
How difficult is it to prepare Belekoy?
This recipe has a medium difficulty level, which means it's accessible for cooks of all levels.
How long does it take to prepare Belekoy?
The preparation time is 20 minutes and the cooking time is 25 minutes.
How many people does this recipe serve?
This recipe is designed for 20 servings.
Can I substitute some ingredients?
Yes, many ingredients can be substituted with similar alternatives. We recommend checking the recipe variations.
How should I store this preparation?
Store the preparation in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Some preparations can be frozen for up to 3 months.
