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Ginataang Bilo Bilo with sticky glutinous rice balls, sweet potatoes, plantain bananas, langka, and tapioca pearls! All cooked in creamy coconut milk to make an extraordinary dessert!

A hearty and comforting snack in the Philippines that doubles as a dessert. I remember this dish when I was younger as something that takes a lot of time to prepare. Before, coconut milk was done manually by squeezing the juice from grated coconut. The same goes for making the glutinous rice, it’s time-consuming and takes a lot of effort to make.

But today, with canned coconut milk and processed glutinous rice flour, you can make this yummy dessert easily. A quick trip to the grocery or Asian store near you will reward you with all the ingredients needed. With some boiling, mixing and stirring, you’ll be able to taste and enjoy this extra-ordinary Filipino snack in a jiffy!

Ginataang Bilo Bilo, Ginataang Halo-halo, Binignit.

Basically, the three dessert from the Philippines are almost similar with ingredients and cooking method. To northern folks, it is commonly known as ginataang bilo bilo or ginataang halo-halo while in the Visayas region it is called binignit. The difference lies with the way glutinous rice or “pilit” , if you’re Visayan, is used.

Ginataan bilo bilo includes tropical fruits like jackfruit stips and plantain or saba bananas. Purple yam or ube and kamote are also included. Binignit is similar but instead of making rice balls the glutinous rice is used to thicken the soup. For me, I know it as “sampelut” since I’m from Pampanga.

Notes On Some Ingredients

Glutinous Rice Flour – traditionally, ground glutinous rice in needed but this can hard to find especially if you live abroad. Glutinous rice flour is more accessible and can be found at well-stocked Asian markets near you.
Kamoteng Ube – I used Okinawan sweet potatoes which is purple in color to give the ginataan its purplish hue. You can also add or just use white or orange sweet potatoes.
Plantain or saba – Or cooking bananas is what the recipe call for and not the sweet bananas that are common in household fruit baskets. Plantains are larger with thicker skin than bananas. Other dishes you can make use of plantains are turon, maruya.
Jackfruit – is an essential ingredient in making the sweet treat. Cooking jackfruit will release its juice and combine with the coconut milk giving the dish its amazing flavors.
Coconut Milk – gives the dish its flavor. You half the measurement of coconut milk and add coconut cream if you want to.
Sugar – This recipe produces a mildly sweet dessert. Adjust the measurement according to personal preference.

Cooking Tips

To make Ginataang Bilo-bilo easier, you have to make or prepare some of the ingredients before-hand. By doing this, cooking the dish is more straight-forward.
Cook the tapioca pearls first – has to be boiled until translucent then soaked in cold water. With the cooked sago out of the way, making this dish will be a breeze. My plantain bananas in syrup shows a step-by-step process on how to make sago.
Make the sticky rice balls next – Add water and glutinous rice gradually in a bowl and stir until dough forms. Shape a ball using the palm of your hands.
This ginataang bilo bilo recipe can be modified so you can remove some of the ingredients and adjust the sweetness that suits your taste.
One way to know that the sticky rice ball are cooked is when they start to float or ri when done.

How To Serve And Store

Serve warm and enjoy not only as a snack or dessert but also for breakfast. Make it more enjoyable with coconut cream (kakang gata) on top.
Transfer leftovers, if any, in a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Other Filipino Desserts You Might Like:

Minatamis Na Munggo – Turn ordinary mung beans into an amazing and healthy dessert. Boiled mung beans sweetened just right for a quick and easy after-meal treat.
Champorado – This thick and creamy chocolate rice porridge is perfect for starting your day.
Ginataang Mais – is a quick, no-fuss and delicious corn and rice in coconut milk pudding recipe.

Ginataang Bilo Bilo

Ginataang Bilo Bilo with sticky glutinous rice balls, sweet potatoes, plantain bananas, sweet jack fruit, and tapioca pearls! All cooked in creamy coconut milk to make an extraordinary dessert!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Filipino

Keyword: ginataang bilo bilo, ginataang bilobilo recipe

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 50

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 289kcal

Author: Mia

Ingredients

For tapioca pearls

½ cup tapioca pearls / sago
3 cups water

For glutinous rice balls

1 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup water

For Bilo Bilo

2 cans 200ml coconut milk
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 medium Okinawan sweet potato (cut in cubes)
1 medium white sweet potato (cut in cubes)
2 pcs. plantain banana (cut in slices)
1 cup jack fruit (cut into strips)

Instructions

Cooking the tapioca pearls

Boil water in a cooking pot and add tapioca pearls. Cook for 20 minutes or until translucent.
3 cups water, ½ cup tapioca pearls / sago
Use a strainer to drain water, and run the pearls in cold water. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Making the glutinous rice balls

In a mixing bowl, place glutinous rice flour then pour water gradually while stirring until dough forms.
1 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour, 1/2 cup water
When dough forms, scoop 1/2 tsp. and shape into a ball using the palm of your hands.
Repeat process for the remaining dough. Set aside.

Cooking the Ginataang Bilo Bilo

In a large pot, combine water and coconut milk and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2 cans 200ml coconut milk, 1 cup water
When it starts to boil, add sweet potato cubes and jackfruit strips. Simmer for 3 – 5 minutes or until tender or half cooked.
1 medium Okinawan sweet potato, 1 medium white sweet potato, 1 cup jack fruit
Add the banana plantains then simmer for 6-8 minutes or until plantain slices are soft and sweet potatoes are fully cooked.
2 pcs. plantain banana
Add the glutinous rice balls, stir to distribute and simmer 6-8 minutes or until rice ball float or rise to the water’s surface.
Once the rice balls start floating and the sauce is a bit thick add sugar. Stir to dissolve then gently mix in cooked tapioca pearls.
1 cup sugar
Simmer for another minute then remove from heat. Serve and enjoy. Bon appetit!

Video

Notes

Do not cook the sauce too thick because once it cools down the consistency will be pasty.

Nutrition

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2 Comments

Michelle says:

July 12, 2020 at 4:40 am

Maraming salamat Mia and Bebs for this easy and yummy recipe! Just made it today…with probably double the langka as we love this fruit!

Warm regards from NZ☺️

1. Mia says:
  
  July 12, 2020 at 5:15 pm
  
  Hi Michelle,
  Salamat din sa tiwala. Over the moon that you enjoyed the dish.
  All the best!