Ginataan with Bilo Bilo, also known as “Gina’tan with Ulog-Ulog” in Bicolano, is a delicious and unique Filipino dessert that’s popular for its creamy and sweet flavor. The dish is made by boiling a variety of starchy food products in coconut milk, vanilla extract, and sugar.
The ingredients for Ginataan with Bilo Bilo typically include glutinous rice balls, sweet yams, slices of Saba bananas or plantains, and tapioca pearls. The addition of shredded ripe jackfruits is also common, adding a sweet and fruity flavor to the dish.
Coconut milk is a common ingredient in Filipino cuisine, and its use in Ginataan with Bilo Bilo adds a creamy and rich flavor to the dish. The combination of starchy food products and sweet flavors creates a satisfying and filling dessert that’s perfect for sharing with friends and family.
Ingredients: 3-4 servings
½ cup tapioca pearls(sago)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1½ cup rice flour to make bilo-bilo
2 cans(8 0z) of coconut milk
1 cup sweet potatoes cut in cubes
2 ripe Saba bananas cut in cubes
1/4 cup cooked mungo beans
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup sweet jack fruit cut into strips
pinch of salt
water
Tapioca Cooking Procedure:
- First, boil water in a cooking pot and add the tapioca pearls. Boil them for 15-20 minutes while occasionally stirring, until they look slightly translucent.
- Turn off the heat, but leave tapioca pearls in the boiled water for another 15 minutes.
- Using a strainer, drain water off the pearls flushing them through a cold running water.
- On a large bowl, add warm water then apply 1-2 tablespoon of sugar. Whisk to melt the sugar.
- Place tapioca pearls and allow them to soak in for 15 minutes, until they turn completely translucent. Repeat the procedure if needed.
Bilo Bilo Cooking Procedure:
- Mix 1 1/2 cups of glutinous rice flour and 1/4 cup of water in a bowl. Stir them thoroughly until a soft, moist dough forms. Add more water, if needed.
- Apply a slight amount of flour on your palm, scoop ½ tsp from the rice dough, then roll it on your palm until you form a round-shaped bilo-bilo from it.
- Repeat the same process until the rice flour mixture is done. Set aside.
Ginataan Cooking Procedure:
- On a large pot, pour water and coconut milk, turn stove on medium heat and bring them to boil. Add mungo beans, jack fruit and sweet potatoes next.
- When the sweet potatoes are half cooked, add the banana cubes and tapioca pearls last. Cook for 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are slightly cooked and bananas are tender.
- Add the glutinous rice flour balls or bilo-bilo, sugar, apply vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Cook for another 10 minutes while constantly stirring it to avoid the rice balls from sticking together.
- The dish is cooked once you noticed the bilo-bilo are floating from the sauce, and the sauce itself turns thicker and richer. Remove sweet and delicious Ginatan or Ginataan with Bilo Bilo from heat and serve hot or cold. Bon Appetit!
Tip: You can serve Ginataan with Bilo-bilo hot or cold. Saba is the best banana for ginataan, but Mexican plantains are an option, or you can use none of them.
