• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Riverten Kitchen
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • FILIPINO
  • ASIAN
  • PASTA
  • BREAD
  • SUBSCRIBE
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • RECIPES
  • FILIPINO
  • ASIAN
  • PASTA
  • BREAD
  • SUBSCRIBE
×

Home > Recipes > Snacks

Special Palitaw (soft and silky)

Published: Dec 3, 2018 • Updated: Aug 25, 2022 by: Mella • Leave a Comment

Jump to Recipe • Jump to Video

A palitaw recipe made even more delicious and enjoyable for everyone. Soft, silky coated with freshly grated coconut, roasted sesame seeds, and then finally sprinkled with sugar.

Filipino special palitaw

What is Palitaw?

Boiling the glutinous rice cake in hot water until it surfaces to the top is the method of cooking palitaw; the term essentially (and appropriately) means 'to surface' in Filipino. It is one of the simplest Filipino snacks you can make with just a few simple ingredients.

Special Palitaw Recipe

Traditionally, the cake is only made of pure ground rice flour and water. The addition of mashed sweet potato makes it smoother, silkier, a little sweeter, and colorful too!

Sweet Potato Rice balls raw

This method may already sound familiar to you because I have used it in my Ginataang Bilo-Bilo recipe. The only difference is that in this recipe, it is important to take note of the ratio of sweet potato and glutinous rice flour when making the dough. Too much of the sweet starch may create a fragile, less chewy palitaw. There has to be more rice flour than the sweet potato (see the recipe for exact measurements).

Orange and Purple Sweet Potato

The nutty smell and flavor of roasted sesame seeds are what really identify Palitaw from all other Filipino rice cake dishes. That is why I highly recommend using freshly roasted sesame seeds when making this snack.

Watch how to make it

More Filipino recipes

  • Maja Blanca with Cream Style Corn
  • How to make Ube Halaya
  • Easy Biko Recipe (Sticky Rice Cake)
  • Easy Cassava Cake (stays soft!)
  • 18 EASY Filipino Desserts Recipes You Need to Try
  • Easy Oven Roasted Chicken
  • Creamy Chicken Kare-Kare
  • Ensaymada Cupcakes
  • Moist Coconut Pound Cake
Sweet Potato Rice balls

Special Palitaw (soft and silky)

A palitaw recipe made even more delicious and enjoyable for everyone. Soft, silky coated with freshly grated coconut, roasted sesame seeds and then finally sprinkled with sugar.
prep 20 mins
cook 10 mins
author: Mella
Servings 12
tap to scale
PRINT RECIPE
Rate this Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup mashed sweet potato or ube (see note 1)
  • 2 cups glutinous rice flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup water (for the dough mixture)
  • 2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (see note 2)
  • 1 cup freshly grated mature coconut (see note 3)
  • white sugar (to taste)

Instructions

  • Steam diced sweet potatoes for 10 minutes until fork-tender. Transfer to a bowl and then mash with a fork or masher.
  • Add glutinous rice flour, salt, and water to the mashed potato. Mix with your hands (preferably) or spatula until soft dough forms. The dough should be soft but not dry or sticky. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time if it is too dry or glutinous rice flour if it is too sticky.
  • Divide and shape the dough into balls and then flatten using the back of a spoon (see video). You can make big servings or small servings, entirely up to you! Place onto a plate dusted with rice flour to prevent it from sticking.
  • Carefully drop each flattened dough in a pot of boiling water (see video). Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Cook until the dough floats to the surface. Remove from water using a slotted spoon. Transfer to an oiled plate and let it cool.
  • Roll the palitaw in grated coconut then sprinkle with freshly roasted sesame seeds and sugar. Serve and enjoy immediately!

Recipe Notes and Tips:

  1. If using two types of sweet potato (e.g. purple/ube or jewel sweet potato, divide the glutinous rice flour and water. The ratio should be ½ cup of mashed sweet potato to 1 cup of glutinous rice flour. Adding too much sweet potato will create a fragile, less chewy palitaw.
  2. Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned. Stir continuously to prevent it from burning. Do this even if you are already using pre-roasted seeds.
  3. Palitaw is best eaten fresh as the grated mature coconut has a short shelf life at room temperature. You can store it in the fridge for a maximum of 4 hours for later consumption. Store it coated with the grated coconut and sesame seeds then just sprinkle with sugar just before serving.
Jump to Video
Course : Snack
Cuisine : Filipino
Keyword : filipino palitaw recipe
Nutrition Facts
Special Palitaw (soft and silky)
Amount per Serving
Calories
165
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
4
g
6
%
Saturated Fat
 
2
g
13
%
Sodium
 
59
mg
3
%
Potassium
 
99
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
 
29
g
10
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
1
g
1
%
Protein
 
3
g
6
%
Vitamin A
 
1572
IU
31
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
38
mg
4
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag @rivertenkitchen or leave a comment below!

Riverten Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

You might like these too

  • Mocha Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting (the best!)
  • Filipino Steamed Cake (Puto Cake)
  • Siopao Asado (Steamed BBQ Pork Buns)
  • 19 EASY Filipino Desserts Recipes You Need to Try
167 shares

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe




Primary Sidebar

HELLO!

My name is Mella and welcome to my blog. Here I share Filipino, Asian, and many easy-to-follow recipes. Enjoy and happy cooking!

Reader's Favorites

  • Lechon Pork Belly with Crispy Crackling
  • Soft Pandesal Recipe (stays soft even the next day!)
  • Beef Caldereta (Kaldereta)
  • Chunky Mushroom and Celery Soup
  • Cream of Mushroom Soup Pasta Sauce
  • Super Soft Ensaymada Recipe

Latest Recipes

  • Coconut Mochi Donut (Carioca/Cascaron)
  • Creamy Garlic Pasta with Bacon and Mushroom (One Pot!)
  • Twice Cooked Pork Adobo (with Potatoes and Eggs)
  • Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce
  • Chicken Adobo Recipe
  • Pasta with Canned Tuna in Oil (20 mins)

Footer

Search for a recipe

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Content Permissions

Visit our sister site

Simple Chicken Recipes

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Follow Me!

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Buy me a coffee

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

COPYRIGHT © 2022 RIVERTEN KITCHEN