Palitaw (sweet rice cakes) are pillowy-soft and chewy rice cakes with grated coconut and sugar topping. They are so easy to make and take less than 10 minutes!
You may also like cassava cake, another Filipino dessert with the same soft and slightly chewy texture made from cassava and glutinous rice flour.
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What makes a good palitaw
Palitaw (sweet rice cakes) should be soft and chewy. The grated coconut should be moist, and the sugar topping sweet and slightly crunchy.
Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Glutinous rice flour or sweet rice flour: Made from glutinous or sticky rice called malagkit in Filipino. Despite its name, it is gluten-free and not sweet at all.
- Grated coconut: Use freshly grated coconut, if available. In the US, you can get them frozen in Asian supermarkets. They are also sold dried as desiccated coconut, which is finer than coconut shreds or flakes.
- Coconut sugar: This is an unrefined sugar with a lower glycemic index that you can use in place of granulated sugar. It tastes similar to brown sugar with a mild caramel flavor.
How to make this recipe
Make the topping
(1)Add the peanuts to a coffee grinder, a mini food processor, or a resealable bag. (2)Coarsely grind them.
(3)On a skillet over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds until lightly browned and fragrant for about 2 minutes. Let them cool.
(4)Combine the coconut sugar, ground peanuts, and sesame seeds in a small bowl.
Make the palitaw
(5)In a medium bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour and 1 cup of water. (6)Mix them up until a dough forms.
(7)The dough should leave an indentation when pressed with your fingers. If too sticky, add more flour a tablespoon at a time. If too dry, add a little water until you get the right consistency.
The dough has to be smooth and pliable, like Play-Doh. (8)Scoop the dough using a 1-ounce cookie scoop equivalent to 2 tablespoons.
(9)Place the dough on your lightly floured hand. (10)Press in between the palm of your hands until about ½-inch thick.
-----OR-----
(11)You can arrange the scooped dough on a lightly floured baking sheet. (12)Press with a spoon to make thin, flat cakes.
(13)Drop the dough into the boiling water about three inches deep. When they start to float to the surface, the palitaw is ready!
They only take a minute or two to cook. Take them out with a slotted spoon and drain the excess water.
(14)Coat them with grated coconut on both sides. (15)Top with a heaping tablespoon of the sugar mixture.
How to store and reheat
Store leftover palitaw in the fridge for about 2 days or longer if you have used dried coconut. Freshly grated coconut tends to spoil quickly.
You can also freeze them for a few weeks. Add the sugar mixture right before serving. The sugar melts and starts to look unappetizing when added too soon.
To reheat palitaw, microwave for about a minute until soft and chewy. You can also wrap them in foil and heat them in the toaster oven or on the stovetop using a steamer.
Frequently asked questions
It is a popular snack or dessert in the Philippines made with glutinous rice flour. It has a soft, chewy texture similar to Japanese mochi.
It gets its name from the Filipino word litaw, which means "to float" since it rises to the surface of the boiling water when cooked.
No. Rice flour is finely ground medium- or long-grain white rice. It is the same white rice we eat with our meals. Glutinous rice flour is milled from short- or long-grain sticky rice or sweet rice.
When cooked, it has a sticky and chewy consistency and is used primarily in desserts. They are both gluten-free and neutral-tasting.
Mix the dough until smooth and pliable, think Play-Doh consistency. Don't worry about overworking the dough since glutinous rice flour doesn't contain gluten and palitaw is supposed to be dense and chewy anyway.
More about palitaw (sweet rice cakes)
I’ve rounded up more frequently asked questions on palitaw (sweet rice cakes) including extra tips, troubleshooting, and substitutions.
Watch how I make it here
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📖 Recipe
Palitaw (Sweet Rice Cakes)
Equipment
- Kitchen scale or measuring cups
- Coffee grinder/Mini-food processor/chopper (optional)
- Skillet
- Saucepan or pot
- Mixing bowls
- 1-ounce cookie scoop
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup unsalted peanuts shelled and skinned; coarsely ground
- ¼ cup sesame seeds white or black; toasted
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar sub: any kind of sugar
- 2 cups glutinous rice flour 2 to 3 tablespoons more, as needed
- 1 cup water
- 2½ cups fresh or frozen grated coconut sub: desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Combine the coconut sugar, ground peanuts, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour and 1 cup of water. Mix them up until a dough forms. It has to be smooth and pliable, like Play-Doh. If too sticky, add more flour a tablespoon at a time. If too dry, add a little water until you get the right consistency.
- Scoop the dough using a 1-ounce cookie scoop equivalent to 2 tablespoons.
- Place the dough on your lightly floured hands and press until about ½-inch thick.As an option, you can arrange the scooped dough on a lightly floured baking sheet. Press with a spoon to make thin, flat cakes.
- Cook the dough in boiling water about three inches deep. When they start to float to the surface, they're ready! They only take a minute or two to cook.
- Take them out with a slotted spoon and drain the excess water.
- Coat with grated coconut on both sides.
- Top with a heaping tablespoon of the sugar mixture.
Bim
Miss having this dessert. Now I know how to make palitaw.