Inday-Inday

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This is my second post of this native treat but this post is mostly just to gush about how delicious this small dessert treat is and nothing more. I have yet to find the perfect recipe for the base of the dessert which is made from nothing more than rice flour and water mixed to a consistency of a paste. There is no exact measurement to this and is usually done by feel. This is the tricky part because depending on the rice used, the proportions will vary a bit so experience is more important in this case rather than technique. 

In our region, it is referred to as Inday-Inday (literally Girl-Girl) but in the northern provinces, it is called palitaw. "Litaw" means to float or appear out of thin air which is a bit more  appropriate since the glutinous cake is cooked by blanching in hot water and it floats up to the surface when cooked, just like a gnocchi. It is then scooped out of the water, drained and placed on a banana leaf. The natural oils of the leaf acts as a natural greasing agent and prevents the patties from sticking. Once cooled, a generous scoop of freshly grated young coconut is placed on top of the patty. Before serving, a scoop of raw brown sugar is added to taste. 

When I was younger, this was sold all around our subdivision in the early afternoon hours to be eaten as an afternoon snack. They actually used to coat the whole patty in the grated coconut before wrapping them up with the banana leaf but I think in terms of aesthetic, having a scoop of coconut of top of the patty makes it a bit more presentable. I found mine in the city from a vendor who just setting up to sell his wares. I bought 10 because I knew that if I bought less, I will be craving for more. It was definitely the best I've tasted so far since I came back two years ago. This had me inspired to go back to the drawing board to try and do this at home but I may have to hunt down that vendor to buy some more later this week.