“Ginataan” refers to dishes prepared by cooking ingredients in coconut milk. This versatile method can be used for main courses with vegetables, meat, or fish, as well as for desserts or snacks. Millie’s Ginataan with Bilo-Bilo is a delightful snack or dessert recipe, featuring a blend of starchy ingredients simmered in a sweet coconut milk mixture.
Bilo-bilo is traditionally crafted from sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour. However, Millie’s innovative Ginataan recipe incorporates grated cassava (yucca) roots as an alternative. Rich in starch, grated cassava roots enable the creation of soft, ball-shaped morsels when mixed with a small quantity of water. It’s important to note that not all Ginataan recipes include bilo-bilo; some variations omit this component. In Millie’s Ginataan, the inclusion of cassava bilo-bilo adds a unique and delightful twist to the dish.
Ingredients: 3-4 servings
1-2 cassava(yucca) roots in cube sizes
1-2 purple yams in cubes in cube sizes
2 cups small Tapioca pearls(sago)
1 cup grated cassava(yucca) roots
3 small taro roots in cube sizes
6 pieces of Saba bananas in small cubes
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 large can of coconut milk
3-4 cups of water
Cooking Procedure:
- First, process tapioca pearls according to package instructions. Skin off cassava, purple yams, Saba bananas and taro roots, then slice them accordingly, then set aside.
- Place grated cassava roots on a bowl. Add about a teaspoon of water to give it some moisture. Squeeze extra juice off the yucca root starch for better rounds formation.
- Grab a small portion of the grated cassava(yucca)roots to form ball-shaped circles that creates the Bilo-bilo ingredients. Organize each Bilo-bilo balls at an inch apart on a plate. Set aside.
- Pour coconut milk into a deep pot, add water and bring it into a boil over medium heat, while stirring occasionally. Add the cassava roots first. Leave it to boil for at least 2 minutes, as you continue to stir ingredients occasionally.
- Apply taro roots, purple yams, cassava roots and Saba banana cubes. Mix and stir into the coconut mixture. Keep it boiling but continue to stir frequently. Stirring it constantly will keep ingredients from sticking to each other.
- Carefully drop each cassava ball(one at a time) into the mix. Keep stirring ingredients as they boil. Adjust heat to low.
- Add the small tapioca pearls, then apply brown sugar to taste. Continue to let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Keep it boiling for another 3-5 minutes, or until all ingredients are cooked.
- Remove from the heat when done, you can serve this deliciously tasty, Ginataan with Cassava(yucca root) Bilo bilo hot or cold. Suave!
Tip: Although, it’s not part of Millie’s Ginataan Bilo bilo recipe, another ingredient which excites me with Ginataan is the sliced, ripe jackfruits. Adding jackfruits the the mix does not only create that inviting aroma to the dish, but also creates a more flavorful taste to is snack dish!
