Ingredients:
- 1/2 kilo glutinous rice (malagkit)
- water (for soaking and boiling)
- 4 cups freshly grated coconut
- 1 cup sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 cup white sugar
How to prepare:
- Soak glutinous rice in water overnight. This will allow the rice grains to absorb some of the water.
- The next day, drain the water. Grind the rice using a miller or a grinder. If you don't have any of these, you can bring them to your local market where you can have it ground. The end result is a dough of rice flour in a pasty consistency. If you don't want to follow this tedious task, you can buy ready-made glutinous rice dough from your nearest public market. Just ask your friendly neighborhood rice vendor.
- In a deep, large sauce pan, bring water to a boil. The water level should be about 5 inches deep.
- Take about a spoonful of the rice dough and form it into a ball between the palms of your hands. Now, flatten it in the middle using your thumb until it takes the shape of a tongue.
- Poach the flattened dough into the pot of briskly boiling water. Wait for a few seconds. You will know it's done when it starts to float.
- Once done, remove it from water using a spatula with holes. Place the cooked palitaw on a bed of grated coconut. Turn it over to cover both sides. Set aside.
- Repeat the steps with the remaining rice dough. You can poach more than one piece at a time as long as it's not overcrowded. Overcrowding the pan will greatly reduce the heat of the boiling water.
- In a separate small bowl, mix sugar and toasted sesame seeds (Sesame seeds can be toasted for about 2 to 3 minutes on a hot skillet over medium heat). Sprinkle this mixture over the cooked palitaw as you serve them.
- Enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee.
