Luscious and silky bilo-bilo made of sweet potato and glutinous rice cooked in sweet and creamy coconut milk. Other ingredients such as saba bananas, langka (jackfruit) and sago are also added making this even more special.
Peel the sweet potatoes then cut into chunks. Place in a pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, around 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Mash with a fork or potato masher.
Place glutinous rice flour in a large mixing bowl then add water. Mix together by hands or a hard spatula.
Add mashed sweet potato. Knead with your hand until a smooth soft dough forms (see video). If the dough turns out dry, add a bit of more water, about 2 tablespoons at a time, until it becomes elastic and smooth.
To form the balls, take a small portion of the dough and then shape (or roll) into a small ball in between the palm of your hands. This recipe makes about 20 to 30 pieces of bilo-bilo.
Make the Ginataan
Pour 4 cups of coconut milk into a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Gently add the rice balls once it starts bubbling. Stir carefully using a wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking together.
When the rice balls start to float onto the surface, add the diced sweet potato. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add the jackfruit strips and diced saba bananas. Continue cooking for 5 minutes or until the fruits are cooked, stirring occasionally.
Finally, add the sago, sugar, coconut cream and pinch of salt. Gently stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Taste and add more sugar if desired.
Remove from heat then transfer to serving bowls. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
The ratio of the glutinous rice, mashed sweet potato and water is crucial. Too much of the potatoes and or water can make the balls weak and sloppy. Hence, if you find the dough sticky after mixing the ingredients and initial kneading, add small amounts of glutinous rice flour (about 1/4 cup at a time) until a firm dough is formed.
Use different kinds of sweet potato such as jewel potatoes or purple sweet potatoes to make different colored rice balls.
Fresh ripe jackfruit is recommended when making this dish. The canned in syrup should be fine too but as it is already sweetened, make sure to adjust the amount of sugar you are going to put in the coconut milk mixture.
Course :Snack
Cuisine :Filipino
Keyword :bilo bilo recipe, ginataan, ginataang halo halo