Kutsinta or kuchinta or even brown rice cake is a type of “kakanin” that uses lye water as an ingredient. Kutsinta is somewhat sticky yet chewey (thats what lye water does) at the same time and is best eaten with grated coconut on top.
This kutsinta recipe requires minimum effort and the procedures are so easy to follow. If your thinking of making something for merienda, this would be a very good recipe worth trying. Kutsinta is best served with grated coconut on top.
In addition, this is one of the most popular Filipino desserts to date. Try this easy-to-prepare Kutsinta recipe.
Kutsinta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 tsp lye water
- 2 tsp anatto seeds
Watch the cooking video:
Cooking Procedure
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients starting from the rice flour, all-purpose flour, and brown sugar then mix all the ingredients.
- While mixing, add water gradually and continue to mix until all ingredients are completely distributed.
- Add lye water and anatto water (soak the anatto seed in 3 tbsp water) then continue mixing.
- Place the mixture into individual molds and steam for 40 minutes to an hour.
- Serve with grated or shredder coconut on top. Share and Enjoy!
My rating
magandang araw po kuya, ano po ba ang lye water, meron po ba sa pillipinas nyan, at klangan b talagang lagyan nyan, thanks po and more power to u.
Hi eva, I’m not really sure kung may substitute sa lye water. Kailangan natin nito para maging chewey ang texture ng kutsinta at hindi malagkit. Please try to find it in Asian or oriental stores dyan sa France baka meron silang available.
thanks chef vanjo! makakatikim na nman kmi ng meryendang pinoy! GOD BLESS!!!!!
These look delicious! Although I’m not a big fan of kitsinta, I would definitely try this!
hi kuya
ask k lang po wat is anatto seeds… i dont know wer to buy here in italy,,,can you help… i really love this kutsinta.. tnx
thanks kuya that is one of my favorite kakanin sa pinas…i like your video very clear at tsaka po very detailed yung procedure…God bless po
thanks po sa recipe na ito.More power po.
Congrats Vanjo!:) Thanks sa recipes!:)
Hi miyat, I would assume based on the details that you provided na nalagyan mo ng lye water yung kutsinta dahil ito yung nagpapa kunat dito. 3 cups of water is just enough for me as you saw in the video. What about the rice flour, anong brand ang gamit mo? Tried making kutsinta before using sweet rice flour (like Mochiko brand) and it did not work too. Because of that I just settled on ordinary rice flour.
joy, didikit talaga sa mold ang kutsinta since medyo sticky talaga ito. Kailangan mong sungkitin para makuha. On the other hand, if you vare trying to say na sobrang sticky ito then it maybe because kulang pa yung steaming time. Please give me more details so that we can analyze further. Thanks.
kuya ano po yun lye water? may nabibili kaya d2 sa denmark?
hi vanjo im mavel fr. milan italy and im very thankful sa generosity mo in sharing your recipes sa mga katulad nmin na sabik sa mga pagkaing pinoy i really appreciated all ur videos dahil npkka clear ng mga details so keep up ur good works more power.
Thanks Mavel. It’s nice to hear good comments from people like you. Please enjoy browsing the site…I see it as my small contribution to our kababayans.
i tried it today, and although the taste and color was right, the texture was more like fudge
used rice flour (not mochiko), APF, lye water, brown sugar, and bottled annatto extract (instead of annatto seeds and water). did a trial run by steaming 6 partially filled molds and timed them at 10 minute intervals starting at 15 minutes. after 45 minutes the mixture resembled thick, heavy sapin sapin, so i added another half teaspoon of lye water to the mix and steamed a new batch, but i couldn’t get the rubbery chewy texture 
any suggestions?
Hi mel, how about trying to cook it further by 15 mins or so. At some days 45 minutes is fine but sometimes it required me to steam it an hour or so to get the chewy texture.
Hello po… ask ko lang kung san pde bumili ng lye water dito sa seattle wa… Please answer it… thank you.
kuya,gus2 ko lng po matanong kung mabibili yung lye water sa drug stores dahil mahirap maghanap ng lye water eh..god bless…and more power..
hi van it’s me again hehehe…ni try ko lutuin tong kutsinta mo, sinunod ko yung mga ingredients mo pero nung pina steam ko na for 45 mins ang ngyari hindi katulad ng nasa video..parang syang peanut butter ang texture..i need your help dahil may party kami nxt month at ito ang plano ko dalhin..pls..thanks
joei, you’re welcome. See you around.
Naalala ko dati nung ako ay nagtatrabaho pa sa isang sikat na Filipino restaurant. Gumagawa ako ng sandamakmak na kutchinta. Di ko na matandaan ang mga ingredient pero yung mga ingredient nga na nakalista dito ang tamang ingredient.
Madali lang siyang lutuin. Inisteam ko yun sa isang malaking steamer at pagkatapos iisteam ay palalamigin ng konti at pagkatapos ay tatanggalin na sa mga kutchinta cups. The best Filipino style food talaga ang Kutchinta, lalong lalo na kapag ito ay may partner na maraming niyog. Thanks for the info!
YW Rocky
Walang anuman Nora. Sana palagi kang bumisita
You should get the packaged grated or shredded coconut sweet.
hi,
i want to try kutsinta, pero wla ako mabilhan ng lye water in New Zealand. meron po bang pang alter for lye water. good for christmas handaan. thank you
i think this is the answer to my question. Thanks so much. Will try again tomorrow.
hello eva marie!! maraming lihia s philippine store,,if you are living in the center of paris,,you can find it in phil store dun kay sol;;nklgay dun white lihia,,,may grated coconut din dun,,i tried making it last night and ok xa,,,hapi new yrrrrrrrr
i tried it, tastes very good but where do I get the individual molds that you use cause the one that i used was for tarts and the kutsinta stuck to them like crazy–deformed them when i tried to take them out. please help.
Hi kuya,
I just want to ask about the lye and anatto seeds? what is the exact familiar word name in tagalog? Hard to find here in the market.
Thanks!
Toshi, lye water is Lihiya and anatto seeds are atsuete.
hi kuya,
ask ko lang yung sa lye water 1 and 1/2 tsp or 1 (one) 1/2 tsp of lye water? medyo confused ako kasi sa video mo once ka lang naglagay ng lye water.
thanks po
halo kuya pwdi b walang rice four?or pwedi b galingin ko nlang ang rice?
kuya, i made this kutsinta recipe, my husband ( Canadian ) really likes it. he named it red puto. i just need to make adjustment with my anato seeds to get the perfect color. but, hey thanks for sharing the recipe. i will post the photo of my kutsinta at my site.
hi yah,i’ve tried your kutsinta but failed,followed all yuor step but still wrong,medyo lusaw cya..why d na buo cya,please help,many thanx..
Londoner
Did you use lye water Aniella?
Good day Chef!
thanks for all your recipes. Natry ko n ung ibang recipe and OK daw sabi ni hubby and my son. Lalo n po ung pandesal. kalasa po ng binibili nmin b4 s asian store. I want to try your Pichi-pichi and kutsinta, but my I have here some SILICOn mold. ok lng po b n un ang gamitin ko. di b didikit un? Thanks po and God bless!!!
melissa, you can use silicon mold for that. Didikit yan for sure but you can always use skewers or any tool para sungkitin yung sides.
Can I use baking soda instead of lye water? can I also do a water bath in the oven instead of steaming? How much baking soda if it’s okay to use and how much time baking?
I don’t think so neri. Baking soda and lye water are totally different ingredients. Lye water is sodium hydroxide while baking soda is sodium bicarbonate.
White lihia yung nabili ko, is it the same?
is it okay to use the atsuete powder the one that’s on the pack as alternative for the anatto seed?
sure corie
if anatto powder ang gagamitin, gaano karami ito 2 tsp din ba? thanks
Nene, it is a type of flavoring. You should be able to find it in grocery isles where similar flavorings are located such as vanilla extract etc. If you are not in the Philippines, try looking for it in Asian stores (McCormick brand is the most common).
Did you use lye water, kathleen? Lye water is responsible in making kutsinta less sticky and firm. If you did use it, maybe it was not enough. Hope this helped.
Hello po, Meron po ba ung lye water sa walmart store d2 po sa USA? tsaka ano po ba ang diff ng glutinous rice flour sa sweet rice flour? Thank’s alot! YOur site is really a big help for s!
toni, they don’t have it there. Try looking for it at the Asian stores.
Hello Panlasang Pinoy! Love your site. Just wanted to comment re: lye water. I did a little research and found that lye water has some health risk. Here’s some links..
http://bigmedicine.ca/wordpress/2009/11/south-australia-sa-health-issue-lye-water-warning/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lye
Are there safer and better alternatives you can recommend because I love me some kutsinta!
I’ve heard about this too and it freaked me out – I used to eat kutsinta a lot growing up :S
An alternative to lye water would be great
nakuha ko na finally, ung rice flour na ginamit ko ung d glutinous ung kulay pula na label, hindi ung green, then ung sa steamer gumamit ako ng cheese cloth para maabsorb ung moisture, tapos kelangan talga ng plastic mold me nabili ako sa sa bed bath and beyond, kasi andito rin ako sa california, kaya laking tulong din nun. $4 lang ata un at 16 molds na un.
ano po ang alternative sa lye water
Greeting from Chicago,
Thanks for the Kutsinta Recipe. Na-try ko na kanina at nakuha ko yong tamang itsura at lasa. I was so excited kasi yong ang favorite kong kakanin. I have a question, can I use coconut milk instead of water sa Kutsinta? Thanks a lot. I love your site, so easy to follow and simple! God bless you!
your so good talaga for cooking. this sites it helps very much to the people abroad, and also to me thank you very to you.
hi . ano po ba ang naiko contribute ng lye water sa kutsinta ? ty
Thanks for posting your recipes online and in youtube, anyway i have been looking for the kutsinta molding and i found it online on Amazon.com or either in World Market store here in the US. TheY sold it for $2.95 for 6pcs. just FYI. Its NOT really for kutsinta molding its a muffin mold but it is perfect as substitute if you can’t find any… Thank you Panlasang pinoy for all your recipe and great ideas! More power!
gumawa ako nyan pero watery sya but I also followed your procedure.. Ska sobrang lagkit yung kutsinta. What went w rong po kaya..
what happens if i use glutenous rice flour? does it have to be just plain rice flour? thanks!
ano ung pinambabalot sa mga kakanin
Hi Kuya,
What kind of molding did you used for kutsinta? Where can I get those tiny molding gadget? Is that made of silicone? And lastly what kind of steamer do you have. I have the generic brand only.I like your steammer though.
Jennie
San ko pa makukuha un anatto seeds does walmart has it or heb pls reply thankssss
yung molds na ginamit po ba ay plastic? hindi po ba sya matutunaw pag ini-steam? thanks.
hi.
natry ko po ung leche flan nu at nagustuhan po ng asawa ko
sir ung lye water at rose water pareho lng ba o hnd?? 
gumagawa po me now ng kutsinta kaso walang lye water. try ko lang
thank you po.
Kaya din po pala hndi naalis sa mold ang kutsinta ko
Koz glut.rice flour po gnmit ko… Pero ung lasa nia its the same…
Nid po ba talga {rice flour} nkasulat… Ty po
wow! i really love to cook, im glad to discover your site,it really helps!
Kuya bkt ganun nangyari sa kutsinta ko hnd nag set sa mold? Nalagay ko nman lahat ng ingridients at nasundan ko rin yung procedure bkt malabot at super sticky yung kutsinta ko? Anyway thank u sa mga recipe na pinupost mo.. More power!
hi..kuya. sinubukan q po ung vegetable stir-fry pasta, an srap nagustuhan ng husband q, unique dw po. tnx po. mrami n aqng natry s recipe mo kuya, at mraming slamat po. at itry q i2ng kutsinta. buti nlang mron po kayung recipe nito. tnx po and god bless.
yes,lye water is poisonous in a long run if taken in large amount/or taken more frequently
may alternative ba ang rice flour at lye water???????kz hirap humanap ng mgasangkap d2,,island po kzd2…
gd pm po.
kailan po ba may cheesecloth na pantakip kapag nag steam na po? any alternative po sa cheesecloth? please reply poooooo.
h! is rice powder same as rice flour? wala kse ako makitang rice flour, glutinous rice flour meron, pero d yta pede un….tnx! hope u can reply.
Hi!
God Bless and more recipes to share.. 
Thanks for sharing this kutsinta recipe. I made this and it was perfect!!
Im happy with the result
Ty very much, try ko Ito, hanap ako ng lye water or lihiya
I tried this recipe and it turned out SUCCESSFUL, thanks! But instead of using LYE WATER I used 2 tsp of Baking Soda. Nice!
Thanks for the tip, Neil.
hello panlasang pinoy ask klang po kung gano kalaki ung cup…kc 3 cups of water eh malalaki ang cup nmin d2 bka masobrahan hehehe tnx po godbless
you need to use a measuring cup
ask ko lang po regarding rice flour…what kind of rice flour…glutinous rice flour? how about steaming the mold…need po bang may cover each mold? and with what kind of cover?
hi..dito po sa manila san po ako makabili nan rice flour?available po na po ba ito sa palengke o sa supermarket na naka pack or yun bigas ay ipapagiling nan dry.thank you very much po.
hhi,yung rice flour ba yung ordinary lang o yung rice flour na made of malagkit na bigas?thank you..
1 cup is equivalent to 250mL
hello ask klang po kung may substitute for all purpose flour, I’m in England and can’t find all purpose flour, not sure whether to use plain flour or perhaps self-raising flour if it’s ok? Thanks, God bless.
Where can I buy those molds? I looked online and cannot find them. I live in South Carolina.
Hi kuya vanjo! Tried your kutsinta recipe today and its perfect! Since we are living abroad ngcrave talaga kmi for pinoy food. Thanks for the site, super helpful sya, i also tried your biko, leche flan, puto to name a few and it came out good and it fits my tastebuds. Nxt tym pichi pichi naman. Thank u and hoping for more recipes to come.
just asking ok lang ba na all purpose flour lang? and how long po yung cooking time ng 1 cup na kutsinta? thank you po!
ang lye water pag old stock na, hindi magiging maganda ang labas ng kutsinta. dapat segurado ka na ang lye water ay bago.
Hi bing, lye water or lihiya (as we call it) is an essential ingredient in kutsinta. Ito ang nagpapakunat sa kutsinta or nagbibigay ng chewey texture. Kung wala nito, parang sapin-sapin ang dating ng kutsinta (malagkit). You may find that in oriental stores within your area.
Hope this helps.
My pleasure, Cherry.
Thanks hapi. Yung molds padala ng mom ko from Pinas. Not sure where she got those.
josie, possible na may kinalaman ang cooking time since nag-vary ang heat na applied natin. Paki try pong extend ng kaunti yung cooking time or taasan ng kaunti ang heat. Huwag na po kayong magdagdag ng lye water
Ano po yung best temperature ng heat? medium or between medium or high? thank you.
Medium will do, Natasha.