Matcha Kuchinta Recipe

This Matcha Kuchinta recipe marries traditional Japanese flavors with a very traditional Filipino Kakanin recipe made with Matcha, rice flour and lye water. It's all steamed together for a super bouncy snack.

This post is sponsored by Aiya Matcha. Thank you for supporting brands that help keep this blog running. It’s much appreciated. Oh and scroll down to the end for giveaway details. It's a good one! 3 Winners!!

What is Kuchinta?

Kuchinta is in the family of Kakanin (rice based snacks/dessert). Traditionally it is made with both regular rice flour and glutinous rice flour mixed with water and sugar. It's then colored with annatto. The magic in Kuchinta is using lye water along with steaming to get the distinct gummy bite. In this version we are replacing the annatto with Aiya Matcha Culinary Powder.

What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Matcha Kuchinta?

This is what you will need to make Matcha Kuchinta:

• Aiya Matcha
• Regular Rice Flour
• Sweet Glutinous Rice Flour
• Sugar
• Water
• Lye Water

You are probably wondering what is Lye Water? Panglasang Pinoy actually has a really good overview of Lye water. Using it in Kuchinta specifically slightly changes the color to be tinted a shade of light yellow and gives the Matcha Kuchinta it's signature gooey texture.

You can find it easily in Filipino grocery stores or online if there isn't one near you.

How Do You Make Matcha Kuchinta

First start with mixing together all the dry ingredients. Both the rice flours, sugar and Aiya Matcha. Using a whisk mix together until there are no lumps.

Then add the water and mix until there are no lumps and then the lye water. Notice the color change right away!

Mix again. Strain the mixture through a sieve. A handy trick is to put the sieve over a pitcher so that it's easier to pour into the molds.

Steam the Matcha Kuchinta for 20 minutes.

How to Un-mold The Matcha Kuchinta

In making this recipe I found that cooling down the Kuchinta fully and then freezing them for about an hour makes it so much easier to un-mold them. Once you put them on a place and just leave them at room temperature again, the texture goes back to bouncy. I've even left some in the freezer for a few days and the texture is till spot on.

What Do I Serve It With?

With a traditional Kuchinta, it's served with some freshly grated coconut. Since we are going for Japanese flavors here, I added some roasted black sesame seeds and Anko paste. Anko is a paste made out of red beans and sugar. The combo is quite exceptional.

Giveaway Deets!

Now for the Giveaway. As a thank you to you, my loyal readers Aiya Matcha was kind enough to give away 3 packages in a branded tote containing a package of Culinary Grade Matcha and other product samples and a 10% discount voucher for future shopping. Head on over to my Instagram on how to join and win.

For more  Filipino inspired goodness in your life follow along on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.  Or subscribe to get these recipes in your inbox.  And if you make these Matcha Kuchinta.   I would love to see it.  Tag your Instagram snaps with @rezelkealoha and #rezelkealohaeats.