Rainbow Sapin-Sapin for Pride Month

Rainbow Sapin-Sapin is a colorful, multilayered sticky rice and a special Filipino dessert recipe to celebrate Pride Month. This easy-to-make kakanin is often eaten as a snack or dessert.

For more chewy and delicious desserts, try our recipes for Ginataan Bilo-Bilo (Filipino Sticky Rice Balls in Coconut Milk) and Pandan Coconut Rice Krispies!

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Table of Contents

Introduction

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈, a time to honor the historical contributions of LGBTQ+ activists. It serves as a reminder that we are all unique individuals deserving of love.

We are empowered to create a more equitable and accepting world, and have a responsibility to do so.

As Filipinos, our ancestors regarded queer individuals as babaylans, who were esteemed for their spiritual wisdom, leadership, and healing abilities.

In modern times, these values have diminished due to a long history of colonialism. Although few babaylans remain in indigenous tribes, their spirit persists in new generations of Filipinos who are actively reconnecting with their ancestral roots, decolonizing their histories, preserving Filipino culture, practicing kapwa, and advocating for a better world.

This Rainbow Sapin-Sapin recipe is dedicated to all our LGBTQ+ friends, families, neighbors, our babaylan ancestors, and of course our readers, Sporks!

What is Rainbow Sapin-Sapin?

Rainbow Sapin-Sapin is a special version of Filipino sapin-sapin, a layered sticky rice dish topped with latik (toasted coconut curds.)

The typical sapin-sapin is made with three layers of ube, jackfruit, and coconut. This recipe, however, doubles the layers to six, drawing inspiration from the rainbow!

The texture of sapin-sapin is soft and chewy, similar to mochi cakes if you have ever tried that. It is topped with latik, adding a bit of crunch and toastiness.

Sapin-sapin features a variety of flavors in each layer that taste wonderful on their own, or all together in one bite.

Sapin-sapin belongs to a group of dishes known as kakanin, which are typically sticky-rice based and eaten as a dessert or snack. It is often confused with kutsinta, another type of kakanin.

The main difference between sapin-sapin and kutsinta is that sapin-sapin features multiple flavored layers, while kutsinta only has one flavor.

Another significant difference is that sapin-sapin uses coconut milk as its bonding liquid, whereas kutsinta uses lye water.

Equipment Needed

• 1 medium-sized llanera (7 in x 5 in x 1.75 in)
• mixing bowl(s)
• silicon spatula
• fine mesh strainer
• Our Place Always Pan with steamer attachment
• kitchen scale

Ingredients

• 1 can coconut cream for latik
• 2 cups coconut milk plus 2 tbsp
• 1¾ cups glutinous rice flour
• ¾ cup white sugar

Dyes and Extracts

• ube extract (purple)
• pandan extract (green)
• jackfruit extract (yellow)
• Watkins Food Coloring (blue and red)

Recipe

Make Latik

1. Use 1 can of coconut cream and follow the easy steps for latik here. Strain and reserve both the latik and the coconut oil.

Prepare the sapin-sapin batters

1. In a mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, and sugar.

2. Strain out the clumps to create a smooth batter.

3. Divide the batter evenly into 6 small bowls. We recommend dividing by weight using a kitchen scale.

4. For each bowl of batter, add flavor extract or food coloring.

Steaming the sapin-sapin

1. Grease the llanera with coconut oil. Prepare the steamer and heat the water.

2. The order of adding layers goes: purple, blue, green, yellow, red, white. Line up the bowls in this order to prepare for steaming.
3. Add the purple batter to the llanera. Tilt the llanera to spread evenly. Steam for 5 minutes.

4. Add the next layer and steam for another 5 minutes. Repeat until the final layer (white) is cooked and set, adding an additional 1-2 minutes of steaming as needed.
5. Remove from heat and let it cool completely on the counter.

Serving

1. When you are ready to serve, grease a small knife with coconut oil. Run the knife along the edges of the llanera. Flip into a plate to release the sapin sapin.

2. Lightly brush the sapin sapin with coconut oil to add shine and seal in moisture.
3. Garnish with latik.

Tips for the Perfect Rainbow Sapin-Sapin

Achieving Beautiful Colors

To achieve beautiful colors, we used a combination of natural dyes and flavor extracts. The result: cute pastel rainbow design!

We’re using ube, pandan, and jackfruit flavor extracts to get those distinct tastes in each layer. Just a heads up: a tiny bit of these extracts goes a long way, so add them drop by drop until you get the shade you’re after.

The other layers are simply colored and possess the base coconut flavor. For these layers, we decided to use natural dyes to get those soft pastel colors, and also to cut down on artificial additives.

Just keep in mind that natural dyes aren’t super strong, so you might need to add a few extra drops to get the color you want.

Ensuring Even Cooking

Getting the layers just right isn’t only for show; it also makes sure the sapin-sapin cooks through perfectly.

Try to split the batter as evenly as you can—a kitchen scale really helps with this. And when you’re steaming and adding the next layer, give the llanera a little tilt to help the batter spread out and touch all the sides.

Preventing a Soggy Texture

The primary reason for a soggy texture in sapin-sapin is improper steaming.

To avoid this, maintain a steady steam by keeping the heat at medium-low. Overly vigorous steaming at high heat creates excessive condensation under the lid, which can drip onto the sapin-sapin.

Be mindful of this condensation when lifting the lid to add subsequent layers.

For added protection, place a clean kitchen cloth over the pot before closing it with the lid to absorb any excess condensation.

How to Store Rainbow Sapin-Sapin

Rainbow Sapin-Sapin is best enjoyed within 3 days. If you’re not eating it immediately, allow it to cool completely before covering and refrigerating.

The sapin-sapin will stiffen in the refrigerator, so gently microwave it for 15-45 seconds, covered with a moist paper towel, to restore its soft texture.

Final Thoughts

Celebrate Pride Month with this special rainbow sapin-sapin! This easy Filipino recipe, steamed in a traditional llanera, contains layers of chewy sticky rice flavored with ube, jackfruit, pandan, and coconut. Cut a slice to unveil the rainbow and share this colorful treat!

Want to try more recipes like these? Check out our desserts recipes like Drinkable Mochi and Easy Tikoy (Nian Gao)!

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this recipe, please give a star rating and review on the recipe card below + share your creations on Instagram and tag us @itsforkandspoon!

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References & Further Reading

https://www.centerforbabaylanstudies.org/history

https://www.tastingtable.com/1544926/akanin-filipino-history-explained/