Good Friday Lunch: Dila-Dila / Palitaw (Sticky Rice Cake with Grated Coconut)

More popularly known in Batangas province as Dila-Dila, but for the rest of the Philippines, this sweet snack or dessert is known Palitaw, derived from the process of cooking where the rice flour dough is dropped in boiling water and cooked until they float to the surface.

When I was a kid, I remember my mom always brings this home from the local market. This serves as our light snack while waiting for lunch to be prepared, well that is to get our hands off from the ripe mangoes which otherwise would not last had we been given the opportunity. My brother particularly loves this so much and most of the time if this was not properly distributed, he'd be able to finish it all! hehe!

Ingredients:
3 cups glutinous rice flour
1-1/2 cups water
4 cups water (for boiling)
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted and ground
1 cup light brown sugar
2 cups fresh grated coconut
Method:
In a bowl, mix the water (1-1/2 cups) and rice flour to form a dough. Add the water slowly to check stiffness of the dough. Adjust to achieved desired stiffness.
Form dough into small golf balls and flatten them like thin patties (in Batangas, it is shaped oval like the form of the tongue (in Filipino, Dila), hence the term.) Set aside.
Put the water (4 cups) in a casserole and let boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling briskly, drop your dough patties one by one. Make sure not to overcrowd the casserole and give enough space between the dough once they rise so they won't stick with each other.
You should watch over the cooking and ensure you lift the patties once they float to the surface (in tagalog, to surface is "litaw", hence the Palitaw).
Let the dough patties dry and cool on a rack to drain excess water.
In a wide plate, mix the brown sugar, cooled toasted and ground sesame seeds and grated coconut. Roll each piece of the cooked dough patty over the mixture and transfer into a serving plate. Enjoy!

Tip: 1) To prepare sesame seeds, put a small skillet over very low heat and roast/toast the seeds. Ensure to toss them for an even cooking of the seeds. Remove from pan once lightly browned. Do not overcook.
You can then grind using  a mortar and pestle.
2) Avoid melting the sugar by a) not mixing the sesame seeds until cool; and b) not rolling the dough patty over the sugar,coconut & sesame seed mixture until cool.