Puto and Kuchinta from Hilda’s
Posted on: April 13, 2010
- In: 5 PTC | Filipino | Reviews
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Thanks to Yelp, I’ve discovered that there’s a very vibrant Filipino community that I never knew existed nearby my home, and that’s how I found out about Hilda’s, a very popular neighborhood bakery.
Hilda’s Mart & Bake Shop is located on a semi-secluded street in the Excelsior district of San Francisco. They are known for three things — their puto, kuchinta, and hopia. Apparently, people from all over the Bay Area order big platters of these three desserts to serve at big parties and celebrations. Now that I have visited, I’m not surprised by their popularity!
Hilda's Mart & Bakery Shop in San Francisco
The bakery is a bright and minimally decorated with white walls. There are only a few items displayed behind the glass counter, but you can take a look of the menu and ask for a custom order in the amount of yummy-ness you want. I asked for 3 puto and 3 kuchinta, and the woman who helped me kindly wrapped up my order. The total was $1.55, so I believe that’s just $0.25 – $0.30 for each one! =]
I’ll tell you a little about puto and kuchinta (sometimes spelled as ‘cuchinta’ and ‘kusinta’) first. These two are probably the most well known of all Filipino desserts and can be found in many Asian markets. Puto is a steamed rice cake that’s in the shape of ball and comes in plain white with just a little sugar added or in other flavors like ube (sweet purple yam). Its texture ranges from soft and cake-like to chewy and sticky (just how I like it!) depending on how it’s made.
Kuchinta is a little orange rice cake that is also steamed. They are shaped like little round, flat UFOs because they are steamed in little round molds. Kuchinta is usually served with a little bit of grated coconut for a delicious snack.
3 x 3 – white Puto and orange Kuchinta
Now on to my review!
The puto was really good! Soft and very sticky, it had just the right amount of sweetness and tasted like genuine rice cake. The three I got were still very fresh.
Close up of Puto
Sticky and Sweet – Puto
The kuchinta was really good too! It was so fresh that it actually jiggled! It was nice and soft, and had a slight banana or pandan leaf flavor to it.
Kuchinta!
How would I rate the puto and kuchinta from Hilda’s? Drumroll please…
I give the puto and the kuchinta a 5 on the Puteokchi Scale!
To be honest though, I like the puto just a little more. I can’t wait to go back and try the rest of Hilda’s rice cakes! SO GOOD.
rice cake review 
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