Puso is rice cooked inside a woven pouch of young coconut leaves, sold at lechon stalls and barbecue grills in Cebu and across the Visayas and Mindanao. Each pouch holds about one serving and is cut open and eaten by hand.
1 hour 25 minutes · Serves 10
Ingredients for Puso (Hanging Rice)
10 empty woven puso pouches, from the palengke, or woven from young coconut leaves
2 cups uncooked rice, washed and drained
Water, enough to cover the pouches
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
How to cook Puso (Hanging Rice)
1.Rinse the pouches. Fill each one about halfway with rice through the opening, since the rice will swell.
2.Pull the leaf ends to close the opening, then tuck or tie them so the pouch stays sealed.
3.Arrange the pouches in a large pot, add water to cover by 5 cm and add the salt. Weigh them down with a plate so they stay under the water.
4.Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 60 to 70 minutes, adding hot water as needed to keep the pouches covered.
5.Lift out, drain and let them stand or hang for 10 minutes to firm up.
6.Cut each pouch open across the top and serve with grilled meat, lechon or ngohiong.
