easy Filipino sweet rice cakes (palitaw) recipe

one-bowl, chewy, gluten-free, and vegan sweet treats

dear fam, if you’re a fan of mochi-textured treats like lo mai chi (糯米滋) and muah chee, you’ll probably like palitaw (pronounced pah-lee-tao), or Filipino sweet rice cakes. Chewy, bouncy, with a delicious sweet crunch thanks to a coating of sesame seeds, chopped cashews, They’re usually white, made from simple ingredients like glutionous rice flour and water.

Palitaw are gluten-free and vegan snacks. They’re also very easy to make.

reel for reference:

katlieu

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Easy palitaw recipe by Kat Lieu

Ingredients:

• 2 cups glutinous rice flour (like Mochiko)

• 1 cup coconut milk

• 2 tablespoons liquid sweetener like agave or maple syrup

• Ube extract, optional and as needed

• a shallow bowl with 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds, and 1/3 cup chopped peanuts and cashews

• a shallow bowl with coconut shreds or desiccated coconut shreds

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. In a bowl, mix the glutinous rice, coconut milk, sweetener, and if using, ube extract, until a pliable dough forms. It should resemble mashed potatoes, and when you roll and shape a portion in your hand, a smooth ball should form. If the dough is too crumbly, knead in water, about a teaspoon at a time.

  3. Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough to form a smooth ball, then flatten the ball into a disc 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. You should have enough dough for about 12 palitaws.

  4. Bring a heavy saucepan or a pot with about 3 inches of water to a rolling boil. Boil the palitaws over medium-high heat, not too many at a time to avoid overcrowding, until they float up to the top, about 4 minutes. Remove the palitaw with a spider strainer or slotted spoon. Transfer the boiled palitaws to the prepared baking sheet to allow them too cool down.

  5. While the palitaws are still warm, first, coat them with the shredded coconut, then thoroughly with the bowl of sugar, sesame seeds, and chopped nuts mixture.

  6. This final step is crucial before serving and I discovered it accidentally…