Wingko Babat Recipe (Javanese Coconut Sticky Rice Cake)

Wingko is often known as Wingko Babat. Wingko is basically a Javanese sweet snack and made from a mixture of grated coconut, coconut milk and sticky rice or glutinous rice. Again, I approved to you that many Asian snacks or desserts are vegan and gluten free.

Babat is a small regency in Lamongan, East Java where is famous with its coconuty sticky rice cake. In That small towm, Wingko plays a big role in the economy which utilizes a large number of workers and as as well as ample coconut fruit from the neighbouring municipalities or towns. Most wingko factories are owned by Chinese Indonesian and some still use Chinese language names for their brands.

This snack is wide spread to other parts of Java especially North Coast Road of Java where popular to be sold inside the train of North Coast way. Semarang where is also located on the North Coast and the capital city of Central Java is also popular for its wingko too.

I wasn’t a big fan of wingko until my roommate who is from Semarang brought me the chocolate and durian flavoured. When I wanted to make a wingko trial, immediately I went for chocolate flavoured instead of the classic wingko. The only different between the clasic wingko and chocolate flavour one is cocoa adding. In this case, I mixed with 90% dark chocolate and cocoa powder. When I did this trial, I found out that is actually easier to cut this wingko when it’s already kept in the fridge and harder. Then after slicing, I can reheat by broiling or pan-toasting.

This recipe goes to Indonesian snack challenge of idfb (Indonesian Food Bloggers) group on Facebook and Indonesian Food Party by Tata and Monica.

 

Ingredients:
250 grams glutinous rice (sticky rice) flour
400 milliliter medium coconut milk
250 grams raw canesugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 pandan leaves, knotted
250 grams frozen grated coconuts, thawed
20 grams 90% dark chocolate
30 grams (1/4 cup) cocoa powder
banana leaves

Methods:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Prepare 22 cm x 22 cm x 3 cm square pan. Layer the pan with banana leaves.

2. In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, pandan leaves and sugar to a boil at medium heat. Add salt, 90% dark chocolate and cocoa powder; whisk well. Remove from heat and cool off.

3. In a big bowl, combine well glutinous rice (sticky rice) with grated coconuts. Discard pandan leaves before pouring a small amount of coconut milk mixture at time into the bowl. Don’t forget to stir once a while. After this all well-mix, transfer the mixture to the square pan that has been layered with banana leaves.

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes in the oven until cooked.

5. Cool down and flip the square to remove the cake out from the pan. Refrigerate until hard and slice as you desire. Place on hot pan or broil both sides until darken and hard but soft the inside part. Enjoy with any warm beverage such as wedang jahe (Indonesian ginger tea). Most original wingko has a round shape, I prefer use square as it’s easier for me to shape it into square.

Cook’s Note:
* This recipe originally uses vanilla powder. I twisted with pandan instead.