Palitao

Palitao is a sticky dumpling-like sweet patty, made of ground rice flour. It's traditionally served with sugar, grated coconut, and toasted sesame seeds. Kiddie rhymes provide a good description of the cooking method, "Lulubog, lilitaw, parang palitao." (It sinks, it rises, like palitaw)

Ingredients

• 2 cups sweet rice powder (powdered glutinous rice)
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  
• 1 cup white sugar
  
• meat of one coconut, grated
  

1. Mix rice powder and water, kneading well until it doesn't stick to your palms anymore when you work it.
   
2. Boil water in a heavy saucepan.
   
3. Roll the mix into small oval balls, then flatten until around 1/8-1/4 inch thick.
   
4. Drop dough patties into boiling water.
   
5. Once the dough floats, remove from water. Shake excess water off.
   
6. Roll in freshly grated coconut.
   
7. Mix together toasted sesame seeds and sugar.
   
8. Serve palitao with sesame seed-sugar mix served on the side.
   

Guinatang Mais

Guinatang Mais, literally corn cooked in coconut, is a sweet rice, coconut cream and corn porridge. It's traditionally served for merienda or the mid-afternoon snack.

Ingredients

• 3 young ears of corn, shredded from the cob or 1 can Cream-style Corn
  
• 1 can coconut milk
  
• 6 cups water
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 3/4 cup sweet glutinous rice
  

1. Mix together in a pan water, coconut milk, sugar and sweet rice.
   
2. Simmer until the rice is soft.
   
3. Add the corn.
   
4. Cook until corn is done.