Bibingka, the Philippines
This gooey rice cake with coconut milk is traditionally cooked in a clay pot lined with banana leaves over charcoal in a special clay oven named after the treat. It’s best known for gracing Filipino breakfast tables during the Christmas season. The sweet, also found in Christian homes in Indonesia, is usually made of milled glutinous rice, also known as galapong, coconut milk (or for more flavour and density, cream of coconut), margarine and sugar. Batter is poured carefully over a single banana leaf and another is placed on top, with preheated charcoal pressing down on the top leaf to infuse the spongy cake with the aroma of the leaves and leave the cake golden and toasty. Slices are dusted with ground coconut to taste.