Sikwate, or Chocolate de Batirol, is a Filipino hot chocolate made from cacao (cocoa). In some parts of Mindanao and Visayas, like Cebu, we called it sikwa'te ("sik-wah-teh"). This is also known as tsokolate de batirol since a special tool called a batirol, a wooden instrument, is used to refine the texture of the tsokolate.
The main ingredient in it is tableya. To make it, it's a must to use a Filipino tablea, a pure cacao disc of raw chocolate. Tablea, or tableya, is made from cocoa beans, also known as cacao. The cocoa beans are dried, roasted, and milled, then traditionally hand-formed into small balls and flattened to form tablets. In the modern era, molders are used to make a uniform shape of tableya. Nowadays, pure tablya is semi-hard to find. Some commercial tableya we bought from the store is mixed in with some ingredients, like sugar and milk, resulting in a smooth, delicious cup of hot chocolate. But the taste is slightly different from the pure one.
For me, I prefer to use pure tablea in making hot chocolate so that I can control the sweetness of the drinks. Making hot chocolate is very easy. Just boil the tableya disc, stirring occasionally, until it completely dissolves (a batirol, if available, is better). Adding sugar and milk will result in a sweet, smooth hot chocolate drink, just adjust the desired sweetness. It is best paired with pandesal or any bread of your choice and rice puto (called "puto sikwa'te" in some parts of Leyte).
