Filipino Carioca Recipes

CARIOCA RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice flour and sweetened desiccated coconut and mix well. Make a well in the center, add the coconut milk and mix with a wooden spoon until becomes soft sticky dough. Refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes to make your dough firm. To make the balls, scoop about a tablespoon of dough and roll on your hands to make a ball. Arrange on a clean plate and repeat the process until you are done with all your carioca dough.
• Dip each ball in a reserved 1/3 cup of glutinous rice flour and shake off extra flour (dust lightly as possible as you can). This process will help your carioca stay in shape after frying and will give you a crunchy texture on the exterior and protects the interior from drying. Repeat dusting until you're done with all your carioca dough.
• In a small frying pan, heat the oil over medium until tiny bubbles are visible. Drop carioca balls by batches at least 15 pieces at a time and don't overcrowd your pan. Fry the carioca for about 5 minutes or until the color turns light brown . Using a tong and a bamboo skewer place 3 balls on each stick and place it on the plate lined with paper towel. Keep skewering until you're done with your first 5 sticks. Reload your 2nd batch of carioca (another 15 balls) on a frying pan and repeat process until you're done with the last batch then, set aside.
• Let's start making our coconut sauce, in a small saucepan, bring the coconut milk into a boil over medium heat. Add in light or dark brown sugar and mix well. When it starts to boil, adjust your heat to low and simmer the mixture until becomes syrup. Fire off, and let it cool slightly before using and at this point you can add some vanilla if you want.
• Meanwhile, while our coconut sauce is cooling down, lightly toast your sesame seeds in a pan over low heat for about 2 minutes. To serve our Carioca, you can either drizzle or dipped in coconut syrup, then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds on top and serve.

KARIOKA SWEET RICE BALLS

Steps:

• Mix rice flour, shredded coconut, and 3/4 cup coconut milk together in a bowl until dough is well mixed. Form dough into balls, about 1 tablespoon per ball.
• Heat oil in a pot over medium heat.
• Fry dough balls in the hot oil until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and transfer balls to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Pour 1/2 cup coconut milk into a saucepan; bring to a boil. Stir brown sugar into hot coconut milk until liquid thickens, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove saucepan from heat, cool coconut coating slightly, and dip balls into coating. Cool slightly before serving.

FILIPINO CARIOCA

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine sweet rice flour, sweetened shredded coconut, and coconut milk. Mix well until a dough is formed.
• Scoop about a tablespoon and a half of the mixture then form into a ball shaped figure. Set aside.
• Heat a cooking pot then pour in cooking oil.
• Deep fry the mixture that were formed into balls in medium heat for 5 to7 minutes or until the color turns light to medium brown.
• Turn off heat and remove the balls from the cooking pot. Transfer the balls to a plate lined with paper towel. Set aside.
• Start making the coating by heating a saucepan and pouring the coconut milk inches Let the coconut milk boil then add the brown sugar and stir continuously until the mixture thickens. Turn off heat.
• Dip the fried balls into the coating then skewer, if desired.

KARIOKA (FILIPINO CHEWY BALLS) WITH SWEET SUGAR SAUCE

Steps:

• DOUGH: Mix 2 cups of mochiko and 2 cups of coconut milk together. Mixture will be very wet. Add macapuno to the dough.
• Make into 1" to 1 1/2" balls and deep fry. (TIP: while forming, using two spoons. Then, immediately put into frying pan).
• SAUCE: Boil 1 cup coconut milk and brown sugar until sticky. Dip karioka into the sauce and eat or pour/drizzle the sauce on the karioka. Skewer. Some people don't like their karioka sweet so they just roll/dust brown sugar on top of the karioka while its hot.