Palitaw are chewy and sweet rice cakes topped with sugar, coconut and sesame seeds. Palitaw is a Filipino dessert. This food is often sold near elementary schools, but adults love it too. Making these delicious snacks is fairly easy, so keep reading to learn how to make palitaw.
Ingredients
- 1 cup glutinous rice flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar for coating
- 1 cup grated coconut for coating
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds for coating
Step
Method 1 of 1: Making Palitaw
Step 1. Combine rice flour and water in a large bowl
Stir until the three ingredients are well mixed. The ingredients should start to form a dough as you mix them. If the dough seems too sticky, sprinkle the dough with rice flour and keep kneading. If the dough seems too dry, add a few drops of water and keep kneading. Continue adjusting the dough with flour or water until you get a cohesive dough.
Step 2. Knead the dough until it becomes soft and elastic
The dough should feel soft and dry to the touch, not sticky or wet. Next, separate the large ball of dough into small balls the size of a ping-pong ball. Flatten each ball into a flat cake.
Step 3. Bring 2 liters of water to a boil in a large saucepan
Put all the flat cake dough into boiling water to ripen it. When cooked, the flat cakes will float.
Step 4. Remove the flat cake dough from the boiling water
As soon as the flat cakes float to the top, use a slotted spoon to lift and place them on a plate. Allow the flat cakes to cool slightly before serving.
Step 5. Combine sugar, coconut and sesame seeds in a bowl
When the flat cakes have cooled enough to serve, coat all the cakes with the coconut mixture at once. Make sure you coat both sides of the cake with the mixture. Press the cake slightly to make the mixture stick. Place each cake on a plate after you have coated it with the mixture.
Step 6. Serve the palitaw while still warm
Arrange the palitaw on a serving plate. Include a pair of tongs near the serving plate to make it easier for guests to pick up their palitaw.
Tips
Try toasting coconut and sesame seeds before you use them to coat rice flour cookies. Spread coconut and sesame seeds on a nonstick cake pan and bake at 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes
Warning
- Be careful when putting rice flour cakes in boiling water. Try to put it in slowly so the boiling water doesn't splash out of the pot and hurt you.
- Do not leave hot water around children or pets unsupervised.
