{"id":9996,"date":"2020-10-14T09:55:51","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T16:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hungryhuy.com\/?p=9996"},"modified":"2024-02-01T16:02:34","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T00:02:34","slug":"ginataan-bilo-bilo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hungryhuy.com\/ginataan-bilo-bilo\/","title":{"rendered":"Ginataan Bilo Bilo (Rice Balls, Sweet Potato & Coconut Dessert)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tender sweet potatoes, juicy jackfruit, and plump bilo bilo pearls swirling in a sweet and nutty coconut sauce–ginataang bilo bilo is a dessert from the Philippines that\u2019s amazing served warm or chilled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s great about ginataang bilo bilo is that it has a variety of ingredients but you can customize by adding only what you like, such as sweet potatoes, jackfruit, saba bananas, sago pearls, and rice balls. This recipe will give you bilo bilo made of purple sweet potato<\/a> and pandan leaves to make it even more colorful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"cups<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Tagalog, ginataan<\/a> means \u201ccooked in coconut milk\u201d and is derived from the word gata (\u201ccoconut milk\u201d). Bilo bilo comes from the Tagalog word \u201cbilog<\/a>,\u201d which means \u201cround.\u201d Ginataang bilo bilo translates to rice balls cooked in coconut milk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"all<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are many different variations of this sweet coconut soup, whether it\u2019s Filipino or even Vietnamese cuisine, like ch\u00e8 Th\u00e1i<\/a> or ch\u00e8 chu\u1ed1i<\/a>. It\u2019s also worth noting that there are savory ginataan stews<\/a>, too.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Cebu, we have a similar dish called binignit that is a similar concept of saba bananas, taro, and pearls cooked in a coconut milk sauce. It\u2019s eaten during holy week on Good Friday to avoid eating meat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bilo bilo (chewy rice balls)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"pandan<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition to having mini sago or white tapioca pearls<\/a> in ginataang bilo bilo, there are also other starchy balls. Bilo bilo are the handmade rice balls traditionally made of water and glutinous rice flour. It\u2019s a very similar process to making handmade tapioca pearls<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this recipe, I made two types of bilo bilo from purple sweet potato and pandan leaves. In my opinion, you can\u2019t really taste the flavor profiles of purple sweet potato<\/a> or pandan, but the color really makes the ginataang bilo bilo pop and make it more aesthetically pleasing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"pot<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
  1. Colored bilo bilo!<\/strong> You can make traditional bilo bilo, which is made from water and glutinous rice flour, but I like to add natural colors to mine by using purple sweet potato and pandan water<\/a>. <\/li>
  2. Cook the mini sago or white tapioca pearls ahead of time in a separate pot of water.<\/strong> Previously, I cooked the pearls in the coconut milk, but I ended up having to cook the ginataang bilo bilo too long and the starch in the pearls turned the coconut milk too thick. By precooking the pearls in a pot of boiling water, it helped the consistency of my ginataang bilo bilo. <\/li>
  3. Use different types of roots for variety.<\/strong> In the past, I\u2019ve used taro, cassava, ube, and different sweet potatoes for this dish. These roots and starches are easily interchangeable and tasty!<\/li>
  4. Cut the roots into similar sizes <\/strong>to make sure everything cooks evenly and on time. The root is one of the main ingredients that take longer to cook, so cutting them into \u00bd inch even pieces will reduce cooking time. <\/li>
  5. Ginataang bilo bilo will get thicker as it cools and the pearls will also get slightly larger.<\/strong> If you want a thicker consistency, try not to overcook the coconut milk because it will get thicker as it cools on the counter. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Serving and storage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I like to cool the ginataang bilo bilo on the counter for about 10 minutes before serving to prevent anyone from burning their mouths! Serve when it\u2019s warm, but you can also chill it in the fridge for those that prefer eating it cold. This recipe can keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"ginataan<\/div>\n
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    Ginataang Bilo Bilo<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t