Hello. My successive posting about food has nothing to do with pregnancy. I think. It’s just that I haven’t had the time to post about stuff that I cook recently along with all the other things I have not found the time to do. There are many, I could cry.

I miss blogging about cooking.

Work and home had been hectic but I always find the time to make these Filipino dessert called “Palitaw” – in Tagalog (the Philippines’ official national language) it means “to surface”. The popular dessert is sticky rice dough flattened, cooked and coated with freshly grated coconut, sugar and sesame seeds. You’ll know later why it is given this peculiar name later in the cooking procedure.

Images of my elementary school canteen comes to mind at the bite of this sweet dessert. It tastes like home.

Pristine likes this very much and since it’s so easy to make, we make them together even on busy school mornings. I feel good sharing a part of my childhood with her.

Ingredients:

• 200 grams Glutinous Rice Flour
• water
• grated mature coconut
• caster sugar*
• sesame seeds*

* Mix the sugar and toasted sesame seeds in a small bowl

Procedure:

1. Boil water in medium heat.

2. Place glutinous rice flour in mixing bowl and slowly add water to form a ball.

Note: Add the water gradually and mix the dough with your hand until it reaches the consistency where it’s not sticking to your hand. Dough should not be too wet or too dry that it breaks.

Difficult? Vague? Sorry – just imagine a Play-doh then.

2. Flatten dough and drop in the boiling water.

3.  When the dough surfaces/floats, it means it is done so take them out from the boiling water and drain.

4. Line the plate with grated coconut and the sugar-sesame mixture.

5. Place the drained palitaw in the plate and top with grated coconut and sugar-sesame mixture again.

That’s it!

*****

Dubai residents can buy glutinous rice flour from Lulu Hypermarket (I bought mine in Al Qusais branch) or in Al Maya Supermarket chain. It’s also available in some Asian grocery stores.