Palitaw: Ube Coconut Rice Balls

I've been reading friends status on how delicious mochi balls are. Which started my craving for some but couldn't find any here. Take a look how Food Librarian made some mochi balls here. Yumyum!


I think mochi balls are quite similar to a favorite Kakanin called Palitaw only shaped like a ball with some filling. I had some glutinous rice flour and ube haleya and decided to make some for our merienda (snack). WhenAdoboMetFeijoada made some using Sweet Purple Potato here.

Palitaw: Ube Coconut Rice Balls 
2 cups glutinous rice flour
1 cup lukewarm water
1 cup coconut flakes
ube haleya


Before preparing rice balls, boil some water on a medium saucepan. 


Stir half cup of water on your glutinous rice flour adding a little bit more of water from the remaining half cup till dough comes together. Firm but pliable. 


Flatten a tablespoon of dough into a circle then fill with ube haleya. Gather sides and pinch to seal. Slowly roll between your palms to make a ball.


Drop a few ball in our boiling water. After a minute or two rice balls will float ladle out and roll on coconut flakes and sugar. Top with sesame seeds.

Ube Haleya
1 kilo Ube -steam and mashed   (purple yam/garadu/sweet purple potato)
1/2 cup condense milk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 can coconut milk
1 stick butter


Melt butter and add the rest of the ingredients and mix till you get the right jam consistency. It took me about an hour over medium heat.