#213_Palitaw or Unday-Unday

Palitaw 1
Rolled in fresh grated coconut
then topped with Macapuno Balls
Palitaw 2
 Dredged in freshly grated coconut, then sprinkled with
toasted, ground sesame seeds with sugar.

Palitaw is a very popular snack item in the Philippines and I bet that most Filipinos know how to make it or have eaten at least a variety of it.

There are several variants of this type of kakanin, one of which is the Bilo-bilo, (glutinous rice balls) click here. Another one I know is the Pangasinan's Masikoy of which I'll be posting next. Actually this Palitaw post is a prelude to the masikoy recipe post, click here.

These three snack items, palitaw, bilo-bilo and masikoy, are basically made with glutinous rice flour and water and are made the same way by dropping them in boiling water.

When first dropped into the boiling water, the shaped rice doughs will sink all the way to the bottom of the pot, but it won't take very long before they come up floating to the surface, thus the root word litaw, a Tagalog word meaning to emerge or to surface, where Palitaw got its name. "Lulobog, lilitaw".....what goes down must come up!"

In the province of Pangasinan, where I am from we call this Unday-Unday. Unfortunately, I don't know what that means.

Palitaw is very easy and super simple to make with only 2 ingredients:

2 cups of glutinous rice flour

3/4 to 1 cup water

Mix well to form a soft dough, gradually adding some more water if the dough is too dry and hard. Pinch off little pieces at a time and roll into about 1 inch balls between the palms of your hands, flatten into oval shapes, then toss them in rice flour to prevent the formed doughs from sticking to each other.

In a pot bring about 8 cups of water to rolling boil then drop these rice doughs into the rapidly boiling water. When they start to float, they are cooked, but I like to simmer them uncovered for about 3-5 minutes longer, then take them out with a slotted spoon onto a platter. At this point, it is not a good idea to eat them because they are bland and it would be like eating spaghetti without the sauce or like eating rice without ulam or viand.

For toppings:

In order to put some good flavors into these rice doughs, you need to dredge them in freshly grated coconut after taking them out of the pot, then top them with anything you like such as macapuno strings; toasted, ground sesame seeds with white sugar; toasted black sesame seeds with white sugar or just plain sugar and grated coconut.

My father liked soft bucayo on top of his palitaw. This soft bucayo were made with young coconuts and white sugar and were sold every morning at the market.

ENJOY!

#74_Ginataang Bilo-Bilo (Kineler)

Ginataang Bilo-Bilo
(Kineler)

This is another comfort food that I enjoyed growing up. Ginataan is usually a mixture of root crops or tubers, fruits and glutinous rice balls or bilo-bilo (kineler in Pangasinan) cooked with coconut cream. It is usually served as snacks or merienda and it is very popular food among the Filipinos that almost everybody knows how to make it. It is one of those make-it-up-as-you-go kind of cooking. Really easy to make.

GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS or

BILO-BILO

To make Bilo-Bilo Balls: mix 2 cups of glutinous rice flour and about 1 cup water and stir well to form a soft dough, adding some more water if the dough is too dry and hard. Pinch off little piece at a time and roll into balls between the palms of your hands, tossing them in rice flour to prevent the balls from sticking together. These balls resemble miniature marshmallows.

To make the Ginataan: In a pot bring about 8 cups of water to rolling boil then drop these rice balls into the boiling water. As you drop them they go all the way to the bottom of the pot, then after a couple of minutes they float. Continue to boil uncovered for about 5 minutes after they float.

Add in the prepared tubers, 1 cup of white sugar, the cooked sago and slices of langka or jack fruit. Cover and simmer until the tubers are tender. Adjust the sugar, adding more according to taste.

Dissolve some rice flour with water and gradually pour this mixture into the pot and at the same time stirring it vigorously to thicken the sauce. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add 1 can of coconut cream and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.

DONE!!

The reason I add in the coconut cream last is because when coconut milk or cream is cooked for a long time, oil will form and I don't want my ginataan to have coconut oil floating on it.

THE ROOT CROPS or TUBERS

Kamote (Sweet potato), Gabi (taro), and purple sweet potato ( I don't know the name of this purple one)


Prepare tubers by peeling and slice them into cubes.


TAPIOCA PEARL or SAGO

Cooking the SAGO is a little tricky. When I first cooked some, I boiled them for more than 1 hour and still weren't cooked. It was quite a frustration for me. Then I called my friend, Gloria Parayno, and she told me how she cooks them: Boil them twice.

HERE'S HOW:

First boiling:

In a pot bring water to a rolling boil then drop the sago into the boiling water. Quickly stir so they won't stick to the bottom of pot. Do not cover. Let it continue to boil, stirring ocassionally, until partly transluscent, the center opaque. Turn the heat off and put the lid on and leave it covered for about 1 hour.

Second boiling:

Discard the water and replace it with cold water and then return the pot to the heat. Let it boil uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take it off the heat, but keep it covered for an hour or longer. Then rinse the sago well with cold water in a colander.

Each piece of the sago pearls should be cooked all the way through but firm and a little chewy.

Note:

I also found out that after boiling them the first time, cover for one hour then put them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate, the next day before using rinse them out in a colander with cold water. I didn't have to boil them twice.