Easy Pichi Pichi Recipe

This easy pichi pichi recipe will help you make authentic Filipino pichi pichi at home. Soft and chewy, coated with coconut or cheese, one hundred percent delicious.

(Looking for other cassava or kamoteng kahoy recipes? Try this cassava cake with macapuno. Soft and tender with a perfectly burnt sweet topping. It’s one of my favourite Filipino desserts!)

First of all, what is pichi pichi?

Pichi pichi (pronounced like peachy-peachy but faster) is a traditional Filipino kakanin or delicacy made of grated cassava, sugar, pandan water and lye water.

They are steamed until they become translucent, soft, gelatinous and sticky. Then they’re rolled in either grated coconut, grated cheese or both.

I think it’s one of the funniest sounding Filipino foods ever but it’s also one of the most delicious. 

So easy and simple to make, Filipinos eat it for snack or merienda, or as dessert. Pichi pichi is also served during special occasions like fiestas, birthdays and the holidays.

Let’s get to it.

What is pichi pichi made of

Tools you’ll need

How to make

This recipe for pichi pichi couldn’t be easier.

3 STEAM. Steam the pichi pichi until completely translucent, springy and soft to the touch. How long would depend on the size of moulds you use. Make sure to cover the lid of your steamer with a tea towel to prevent the moisture from the steam from raining onto your pichi pichi.

Cooking tips and recipe FAQs

Here are some cooking tips and answers to your frequently asked questions to make this pichi pichi recipe that much easier!

How to make pandan water

Pandan water is simply water infused with pandan. Making it is so easy:

• Place a bunch of pandan leaves in a pot with water, then bring to a boil
• Bring down to a simmer for about half an hour or until you start to smell that lovely pandan smell.
• Take out the pandan leaves and allow the pandan water to come down to room temperature before using

What is lye water

Food grade lye water is an alkaline solution that contains 80% potassium carbonate and 20% sodium bicarbonate (or baking soda). 

It’s most often used in making traditional ramen noodles, giving them that distinct, springy, chewy texture. It’s also a main ingredient in kutsinta, another Filipino delicacy.

In the Philippines, lye water is most often called lihia or lihiya but across Asia it’s known as kansui.

I can usually find lye water in our local Asian supermarket but it’s also available in Amazon. Just make sure you’re buying lye water that’s especially formulated for cooking.

And even then, treat your bottle of lye water with care because it’s dangerous when consumed in large amounts and can cause severe corrosive burns to the throat, oesophagus and stomach with permanent damage if swallowed.

Substitute for lye water

Wary of using commercially made lye water? Good news is it’s pretty easy to make at home using baking soda. 

I’ve personally never tried it but this provides lots of information on how to make kansui at home.

How to prepare fresh cassava

I always use frozen grated cassava in this recipe and it’s always worked great. 

Fresh cassava is really not that common here but I remember when my mom would buy from our local palengke or market, she would already have the cassava grated, pressed and drained there.

If you’re prepping fresh cassava yourself, you can follow these steps:

• Wash then peel
• Grate using a cheese grater. The finer, the better. You can also use a food processor
• Place the grated cassava into a cheese cloth and squeeze water from it. It doesn’t have to be completely dry. Just make sure you get rid of the excess water

I only strain frozen grated cassava when I feel it’s too liquidy. Otherwise, I just thaw and use directly.

How to store pichi pichi

You can keep coated pichi pichi in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can eat it cold, at room temperature or a little warm (microwave for a few seconds).

Note that they will harden the longer they sit so best to consume pichi pichi the day they’re made.

Pichi pichi is so good. Soft and chewy, sweet and salty. It’s very light too and a great alternative to rich, decadent desserts.

I’ve wanted to make some for years but was always intimated by what I thought was a complicated process. If I had known it was this easy to make, I would have learned to make some sooner!

Now it’s pichi pichi time any time. Hope you try it!

Happy steaming!

Did you make cassava pichi pichi recipe? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below. 

If you’re looking for other recipes to use that steamer for, try this delicious puto recipe (Filipino rice cakes) or make this suman recipe (Filipino sticky rice cakes in banana leaves). So good!

And if you love pichi pichi, chances are you’ll love palitaw too. Try this easy palitaw recipe.

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