Palitaw are pillowy-soft, chewy rice cakes coated with grated coconut and topped with a sugar mixture. You can make them in less than 10 minutes with just a few ingredients!
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What is Palitaw?
Palitaw, a popular snack or dessert in the Philippines, is made with glutinous rice flour and boiled until they float to the surface, which is how they get their name from the Filipino word 'litaw,' meaning "to float." These sweet rice cakes are soft and chewy similar to Japanese mochi, and are typically coated with grated coconut, sesame seeds or peanuts, and sugar.
Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Glutinous rice flour (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: For the coating, freshly grated mature coconut is best. If fresh isn't available, frozen grated coconut is a suitable alternative. You can also use desiccated coconut, but be sure to coat the Palitaw while warm so it rehydrates.
- 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
Step 1: Add ⅓ cup of peanuts to a coffee grinder, a mini food processor, or a resealable bag and a rolling pin.
Step 2: Coarsely grind the peanuts until you achieve the desired texture.
Step 3: Toast ¼ cup of sesame seeds over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant, approximately 2 minutes. Allow the toasted seeds to cool before using.
Step 4: Combine ⅓ cup coconut sugar, ground peanuts, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Set it aside.
Step 5: In a medium bowl, mix 2 cups of glutinous rice flour and 1 cup of water until a dough forms. It should leave an indentation when pressed with your fingers. Adjust the consistency by adding a tablespoon of flour if too sticky or a little water if too dry.
Step 6: Scoop the dough using a 1-ounce cookie scoop equivalent to 2 tablespoons and place it on your lightly floured hand or on a baking sheet.
Step 7: Press the dough between your palms until it's about ½-inch thick, or use the back of a spoon to flatten it.
Step 8: Drop the dough into the boiling water and cook until it floats, which usually takes just a minute or two. Remove from the water and drain the excess water.
Step 9: Coat with grated coconut on both sides.
Step 10: Top with a heaping tablespoon of the sugar mixture. For an optional twist, you can also sprinkle some toasted coconut over the top.
How to store and reheat
Store leftover palitaw in the fridge for up to 2 days or longer if you use dried coconut. Freshly grated coconut tends to spoil quickly.
You can also freeze them and 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 do it on a steamer or in the toaster oven wrapped in foil.
Recipe FAQs
No, though they are both gluten-free and neutral in taste. Rice flour is made from the same white rice we eat with our meals. Glutinous rice flour is made from sticky rice or sweet rice. It has a chewy texture and is more commonly used in desserts.
Palitaw is supposed to be dense and chewy, so don't worry about overworking the dough. Glutinous rice flour does not contain gluten. The dough should be smooth and pliable, similar to Play-Doh.
Explore more Filipino rice cakes
- Ube Kalamay: Sticky, sweet rice cakes made with glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, and ube (purple yam), giving it a distinct purple color. It's often topped with latik or caramelized coconut curds.
- Kutsinta: Steamed rice cakes with jelly-like, chewy texture and reddish-brown color made with lye water and annatto seeds. It's often eaten with grated mature coconut on top.
- Espasol: This cylindrical or rectangular rice cakes are cooked in a pan with toasted sticky rice flour and coconut milk, then coated with more toasted rice flour.
- Biko: Glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and brown sugar, then topped with latik.
- Suman: Glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and sugar, wrapped in banana leaves, then steamed.
More about palitaw
I’ve rounded up more frequently asked questions on Palitaw, including extra tips, troubleshooting, and substitutions.
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📖 Recipe
Palitaw Recipe
Equipment
- Measuring cups and bowls
- Skillet
- Saucepan or pot
- Mini-food processor or chopper (optional)
- 1-ounce cookie scoop (optional)
- Slotted spoon (optional)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup unsalted peanuts shelled and skinned; coarsely ground
- ¼ cup sesame seeds white or black; toasted
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar (see note)
- 2 cups glutinous rice flour 2 to 3 tablespoons more, as needed (see note)
- 1 cup water
- 2½ cups fresh or frozen grated coconut (see note)
Instructions
- Coarsely grind the peanuts until you achieve the desired texture.
- Toast sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant, approximately 2 minutes. Allow the toasted seeds to cool before using.
- Combine coconut sugar, ground peanuts, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour and water until a dough forms. It should leave an indentation when pressed with your fingers. Adjust the consistency by adding a tablespoon of flour if too sticky or a little water if too dry.
- Scoop the dough using a 1-ounce cookie scoop equivalent to 2 tablespoons and place it on your lightly floured hand or on a baking sheet.
- Press the dough between the palm of your hands until it's about ½-inch thick, or use the back of a spoon to flatten it.
- Drop the dough into the boiling water and cook until it floats, which usually takes just a minute or two. Remove from the water and drain the excess water.
- Coat with grated coconut on both sides.
- Top with a heaping tablespoon of the sugar mixture.
Video
Notes
- Glutinous rice flour (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: For the coating, freshly grated mature coconut is best. If fresh isn't available, frozen grated coconut is a suitable alternative. You can also use desiccated coconut, but be sure to coat the Palitaw while warm so it rehydrates.
- 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.
Bim
Miss having this dessert. Now I know how to make palitaw.