The first time I served this to my non-Filipino friends, I was hesitant because of its rather unappetizing look. But when I got the confirmation that they liked the taste and even wanting to try another one, I was very happy!
This biko tapol, also known as biko Bisaya, or purple biko is the Visayan version of the well-known Filipino sweet sticky rice cake–biko (pronounced BI-KOH).
It is a combination of glutinous white rice (pilit) and black/purple sticky rice known as “tapol“, simmered in coconut cream, coconut milk, and brown sugar.
The result is a dark, purplish, rice cake that may not look very attractive but tastes really good.
Biko tapol is one of those special desserts we prepare during Christmas and New Year’s Eve in the Philippines.
It’s part of our culture and beliefs to make as many sweets during these celebratory occasions to attract good luck and abundance.
This version of biko I’ll share in this post is the one I grow up eating, although occasionally my family also made the plain biko topped with coconut syrup.
This is a scaled-down version of my mom’s original biko tapol recipe which didn’t have the precise measurements of the ingredients. She usually makes a large batch requiring kilos of rice and sugar and large quantities of coconut milk.
I modified the recipe to make it available for home cooks who wanted to make biko enough to feed a small crowd.
I adopted the 4:1 ratio for the glutinous rice vs purple rice, and used an equal ratio for coconut cream and milk.
Coconut cream (akakakang gata in Tagalog) is thicker and richer compared to coconut milk.
I use canned coconut milk and cream in this recipe since I don’t have access to fresh coconut meat.
However, if you decide to extract your own, use less water to extract the coconut cream and more water for coconut milk.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yields: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sweet rice/glutinous rice (aka pilit)
1/2 cup sweet black or purple rice (aka tapol)
3 cups + 1 1/2 cups water (for cooking the rice)
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups coconut cream
2 cups coconut milk
Tools/Materials You’ll Need:
Medium sauce pan or pot for cooking the rice
Large skillet or wok
Cooking spoon
Container for cooked biko
Banana leaves (optional)
Procedure:
1. Mix purple rice and 3 cups of water in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until most of the water dries up. 
2. Rinse glutinous rice with cold water and place in same pot. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium low heat until most of the water has evaporated. Check the rice for doneness. Purple rice should be cooked al dente (not mushy) while sweet rice is about almost cooked but not quite (it should be a little nutty when you bite the grains with your teeth). Set aside.
3. In a large skillet or wok, mix together brown sugar, coconut cream, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium high heat for about 10 minutes until the liquid has thickened a little, stirring often.
4. Lower heat to medium and add pre-cooked rice. Cook until mixture gets very sticky and pulls away from the skillet. It’s done when you barely can mix it and when it gets shimmery in appearance.
5. Remove from heat and transfer to a prepared container lined with banana leaves, then allow to cool before serving. My favorite way is shaping them into round discs using the lid of a quart-size mason jar and placing them individually in pre-cut round-shaped banana leaves for easier serving and portion control.
Biko Tapol Recipe
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A delicious Filipino snack made from sweet rice, purple sticky rice, coconut milk, coconut cream and brown sugar.
Author: Mia
Recipe type: Dessert, Snacks
Cuisine: Filipino
Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
- 1½ cups sweet rice/glutinous rice (aka pilit)
- ½ cup sweet black or purple rice (aka tapol)
- 3 cups + 1½ cups water (for cooking the rice)
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 cups coconut cream
- 2 cups coconut milk
- Tools/Materials You'll Need:
- Medium sauce pan or pot for cooking the rice
- Large skillet or wok
- Cooking spoon
- Container for cooked biko
- Banana leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Mix purple rice and 3 cups of water in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until most of the water dries up.
- Rinse glutinous rice with cold water and place in same pot. Add 1½ cups water and stir. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium low heat until most of the water has evaporated. Check the rice for doneness. Purple rice should be cooked al dente (not mushy) while sweet rice is about almost cooked but not quite (it should be a little nutty when you bite the grains with your teeth). Set aside.
- In a large skillet or wok, mix together brown sugar, coconut cream, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium high heat for about 10 minutes until the liquid has thickened a little, stirring often.
- Lower heat to medium and add pre-cooked rice. Cook until mixture gets very sticky and pulls away from the skillet. It's done when you barely can mix it and when it gets shimmery in appearance.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a prepared container lined with banana leaves, then allow to cool before serving. My favorite way is shaping them into round discs using the lid of a quart-size mason jar and placing them individually in pre-cut round-shaped banana leaves for easier serving and portion control.
