Ginataang Bilo bilo (or Ginataang Halo-halo) is a popular Filipino afternoon snack or dessert.
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
“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 name for bilo-bilo? ›
Bilo bilo (chewy rice balls)
Bilo bilo are the handmade rice balls traditionally made of water and glutinous rice flour. It's a very similar process to making handmade tapioca pearls.
What is glutinous rice ball in coconut milk? ›
Bua loy or bua loi is a popular Thai dessert featuring soft glutinous rice flour dumplings or balls in sweet coconut milk. The name translates to 'floating lotus', referring to the colorful rice balls floating in a bowl of milk.
How long does bilo-bilo last in the fridge? ›
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.
Why do the Filipinos eat Halo-Halo? ›
Halo-Halo translated from Tagalog/Filipino literally means "mix-mix." Halo-halo is a favorite Filipino dessert or snack because it is cold and refreshing, perfect for beating the tropical heat that exists almost year round in the Philippines.
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 ...
Where did Ginataang Bilo-Bilo originated in the Philippines? ›
Bilo-bilo's origin is in Luzon, which is the northern Philippines Island. There are different recipe versions depending on what region in the Philippines it is from. Some recipes call for young coconut meat and some call for adding pandan leaves.
Why is Bilo-Bilo popular? ›
In addition to being a delicious dessert, ginataang bilo-bilo is also a popular dish for special occasions and celebrations. It is often served during festivals and fiestas, and is a common offering for the dead during the All Souls' Day.
What is the substance or mixture of Ginataang Bilo-Bilo? ›
Ginataang bilo-bilo is made with sweetened coconut milk, sticky rice balls, mini sago, and langka strips. It's creamy, delicious, and makes a filling snack or dessert.
What is the difference between sticky rice and glutinous rice? ›
It is called glutinous (Latin: glūtinōsus) in the sense of being glue-like or sticky, and not in the sense of containing gluten (which it does not). While often called sticky rice, it differs from non-glutinous strains of japonica rice, which also become sticky to some degree when cooked.
Tangyuan – Sweet Rice Balls
It is a ball shape food made by glutinous rice flour. The shape and the pronunciation of tangyuan symbolize being together with your beloved one and family reunion. The lucky saying of eating tangyuan is团团圆圆 (Tuántuán yuányuán/ 'group-group round-round'): Happy (family) reunion!
Are glutinous rice balls healthy? ›
High calorie
1 glutinous rice ball with fillings provides 60-70 calories1, thus 1 serving of Tang Yuan (consisting of 5 glutinous rice balls) provides 300-350 calories and this equals to the calories of 1 bowl of white rice. You may need to run for 30 minutes to burn these calories.
Which is better, tapioca or sago? ›
Tapioca and sago pearls are both used the same way and can be substituted for any recipe. The only reason why tapioca pearls are more desirable is because they are more accessible and cheaper than the real sago pearls.
Is binignit and bilo-bilo the same? ›
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – Binignit – tabirak in Northern Mindanao, ginataan and bilo-bilo in Luzon, and many other names – is a popular Holy Week staple in the Philippines. It is a simmering fusion of sticky rice, fruits, tubers, and tapioca pearls cooked in coconut milk.
How many calories are in bilo-bilo? ›
Homemade Ginataang Bilo Bilo (1 cup) contains 338g total carbs, 305g net carbs, 46g fat, 268g protein, and 2885 calories.
What is the difference between Halo-Halo and Iskrambol? ›
Halo-Halo's ingredients are layered from the bottom of the glass then filled with shaved ice, a pouring of evaporated milk, then topped with a scoop of usually ube ice cream; while Iskrambol is shaved ice, color and flavor mixed together to form a smooth shaved ice mixture scooped into a glass and then topped with its ...
What is 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.
What dessert is similar to Halo-Halo? ›
Guinomis is almost a cross between a halo-halo and sago't gulaman. It hails from the Kapampangan people and is made of crushed ice, jelly, sago, sugar, evaporated milk, water and pinipig. To make it more substantial, you can add melon strips and replace the evaporated milk with coconut milk.
What is the Korean dessert like Halo-Halo? ›
Bingsu (Korean: 빙수; Hanja: 氷水), sometimes written as bingsoo, is a milk-based Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings that may include chopped fruit, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and red beans. The most common variety is pat-bingsu (Korean: 팥빙수), the red bean shaved ice.