Ginataang Bilo bilo (or Ginataang Halo-halo) is a popular Filipino afternoon snack or dessert.
![[Filipino Recipes] Ginataang Bilo Bilo (Sticky Rice Balls In Coco Milk) (1)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw== "[Filipino Recipes] Ginataang Bilo Bilo (Sticky Rice Balls In Coco Milk) (1)")
Made with glutinous rice balls, plantain bananas, sweet potatoes and tapioca pearls that is cooked in sweet coconut milk, and to make it more special, jackfruit is also usually added.Ginataan Bilo Bilo is a great comfort food, especially on a rainy day. It is very versatile as it can be eaten hot or cold so you can enjoy it as an afternoon snack and even for breakfast or as a dessert.
It is hearty and very nutritious at the same time. Plantain or cooking bananas and sweet potato are both good sources of fiber. They also contain a good array of vitamins and minerals.When we were young, I remember my mama would buy freshly ground glutinous rice from the local marketplace. She would have to buy the glutinous rice from the rice vendor herself and bring it to the grinder afterward.Nowadays you can buy a bag of glutinous or sticky rice flour and just add water to it and they are ready to use.
As you can see in the photo below, I added some purple or violet food color to half of my sticky rice balls. It makes the Ginataan Bilo Bilo a bit more vibrant so does the orange sweet potatoes.
There is also an Ube food flavoring that you can buy that will give the same result plus the added flavor to the balls. Just be careful though with using liquid food colors as just some drops can already go a long way.Do not laugh at me but I have to say that it was my first time to see orange sweet potatoes.Back home they are usually off-white to yellowish or even purple, they looked weird to me at first and it was like I was cooking squash or pumpkin instead but it tasted just like the sweet potatoes I know.Too bad though I was not able to find jackfruit so I was not able to add some.
I have to ask the other Filipinas around where they get it because I am fairly sure I saw some jackfruit when a friend brought Ginataan Bilo Bilo to a Filipino get-together one time. Of course, it could only be in a can unless she was able to bring it directly from the Philippines.Update: I decided to remake the photos and as you can see there is now jackfruit in it. I will never make Bilo Bilo without it again! I mean, it is good without but it is so much better with them.Cooking sago or tapioca pearls could take a while, depending on the size. The bigger ones could take more than an hour to cook. This steps here is for the small ones that I usually use for making Ginataang Bilo-Bilo.
There are different ways to cook tapioca pearls but I like this method because it is faster and it makes sure that the pearls are cooked through by cooking it twice.
Bring 4-5 cups of water into a rolling boil over high heat. Add the tapioca pearls. Let it cook for 10 minutes.
Place a colander/strainer in a bowl or pot and pour the contents to separate the tapioca from the water. Use the same water and bring it to boil the second time.
Wash the strained tapioca pearls thoroughly with tap water and put it back into the boiling water and cook again for several minutes until they become completely translucent and no more white spot at the core.INGREDIENTS
▢ 2 cups glutinous rice flour
▢ 1 cup water
▢ 2-3 cups water
▢ 2 400ml can coconut milk or cream
▢ 1 1/2 cup cooked tapioca pearls
▢ 3/4 cup sugar
▢ 2 big sweet potatoes - - peeled and cubed
▢ 4 piece plantain bananas - - peeled and cubed
▢ 1 cup jackfruit - - cut into strips
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Prepare the sticky rice balls by adding 1 cup of water to 2 cups glutinous rice flour. Mix with a fork until it forms a dough. Scoop about half a spoon of the dough and form them into balls using your palms. Set them aside.
2. In a pot, combine 2 cups water, coconut milk, and sugar and bring to boil. Add the sweet potato cubes and cook for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Next, add the plantain banana cubes and cook for about 3 minutes.
3. Once the sweet potatoes and bananas are almost cooked, add the sticky rice balls and let simmer until they are cooked (about 5 minutes) while stirring occasionally. You know the sticky balls are done when they are floating.
4. Add the jackfruit slices and the cooked tapioca pearls. Let simmer for another 3-5 minutes or until all fruits are tender and cooked.
Note that it will continue to thicken even after removing it from the heat. Serve hot or cold.
This recipe and image sources are referred in website:Foxyfolksy.com.Thanks so much!
FAQs
Storage Instructions
Ginataang bilo-bilo will keep for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keep in mind that the coconut soup will thicken as it cools, so if needed, add additional coconut milk to thin it out again.
What is the difference between Ginataang Halo Halo and Bilo Bilo? ›
“Bilo-bilo” describes the round shapes of the glutinous rice dumplings while the “Halo-halo” describes the colourful ingredients liken to the cold “Halo-Halo”, a Filipino shaved ice dessert. “Pinindot-pindot”, describes the rolling and squishing of the dumplings while forming them.
What is the English of Bilo Bilo? ›
Bilo bilo comes from the Tagalog word “bilog,” which means “round.” Ginataang bilo bilo translates to rice balls cooked in coconut milk. What is this? There are many different variations of this sweet coconut soup, whether it's Filipino or even Vietnamese cuisine, like chè Thái or chè chuối.
What is Bilo Bilo made of? ›
Pinaltok or Bilo-bilo is a Filipino dessert made of small glutinous balls (sweet sticky rice flour rounded up by adding water) in coconut milk and sugar. Then jackfruit, saba bananas, sweet potatoes, taro, and tapioca pearls or sago (regular and mini size pearls) are added.
How many calories does Bilo Bilo have? ›
Homemade Ginataang Bilo Bilo (1 cup) contains 338g total carbs, 305g net carbs, 46g fat, 268g protein, and 2885 calories.
Why is it called Bilo Bilo? ›
Bilo-bilo comes from the root word “bilog” (a Tagalog word which translates to 'round'). The word 'ginataan' comes from the word 'gata' which is coconut milk.
Why do the Filipinos eat Halo-Halo? ›
The beloved summer treat Halo-halo is like an unofficial symbol of summer in the Philippines. The longing for something cold and refreshing under the sweltering heat, the sweet and surprising flavor bombs that remind us of happy times is what this colorful concoction brings to the table.
Is Halo-Halo Filipino or Hawaiian? ›
Halo-halo, also spelled haluhalo, Tagalog for "mixed", is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made up of crushed ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk, and various ingredients including side dishes such as ube jam (ube halaya), sweetened kidney beans or garbanzo beans, coconut strips, sago, gulaman (agar), pinipig ...
Does Halo-Halo mean parfait in Filipino? ›
 Halo Halo does mean 'mix mix' when translated, and it is simply what you will do to enjoy this dessert. You will dig your spoon deep, lifting it up and down to mix all of the ingredients, while spooning or slurping the things you may want to chew on, especially the tapioca pearls (boba).
What is the substance of the Ginataang Bilo-Bilo? ›
It is composed of glutinous rice balls (locally known as bilo-bilo), coconut cream, sugar, sago pearls, and ripe jackfruit. Some people consider this as a simplified version of the Ginataang halo-halo.
While binignit is popular in Visayas, people in Metro Manila know it better as ginataang halo-halo or bilo-bilo. The cooking method for both are largely the same; both are cooked in coconut milk and cream, and they both usually contain all or a combination of different tubers, saba, and/or sago.
What can I substitute for glutinous rice flour? ›
Other rice flours, like plain rice flour and chapssal flour, can provide a similar chewy consistency as glutinous rice flour. So, they work well as substitutes.
What is the difference between rice flour and glutinous rice flour? ›
They come from different rice cultivars. Rice flour is made from Japonica long-grain rice, and glutinous rice flour comes from both long and short-grain glutinous “sticky rice” or “sweet rice” varieties. Glutinous rice has more chew.
What is pinindot Filipino food? ›
Pinindot or bilo-bilo is essentially a dessert dish meant to counter the savory tastes in a typical Filipino holiday meal. Its basic construct involves small glutinous rice balls (balls of rice flour that Heather rolls up by hand) cooked in coconut milk and sugar.
How long can Che last in the fridge? ›
Soft cheeses such as cottage cheese, ricotta or Brie can be refrigerated one week but they don't freeze well. Hard cheeses such as cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan can be stored in the refrigerator six months before opening the package and three to four weeks after opening.
Is mochiko glutinous rice flour? ›
Mochiko (もち粉), mochiko sweet rice flour, or mochi flour, is a glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour) made of glutinous short-grain Japanese rice. Known for its sticky and chewy texture, the Japanese use it to make Japanese pastries and sweets.
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