Make it with sticky rice, ground raw kakaw molds or tablea, and cook in water. Add sugar and milk to your liking. That’s it! Believe it or not, plain rice and cocoa powder is ok too, but be sure to try it with the traditional ingredients one day. It is a tradition that has roots in both the Philippines, and Mexico: kakaw or cacao!
Kakaw or cacao is a fruit that grows on the kakaw tree. Inside each fruit are small seeds or kakaw beans, surrounded by a sweet and delicious white pulp which can also be eaten. To make chocolate, the bean is removed and goes through a process that includes fermentation, drying, roasting, and grinding 1. Depending on the final product, the process can vary!
Filipinos use kakaw to make tablea, champorado, tsokolate or sikwate, chocolate bars and cakes, kakanin or rice snacks, chocolate dried mangoes, and more! Learn more about kakaw here, or learn how it is tablea is made from kakaw here.
