GINATAANG BILO-BILO (Rice Balls with Coconut Milk)

Ginataang halo-halo or bilo-bilo is a Filipino snack or dessert using Rice Flour cook with coconut milk and mix with sugar and other fruits like ripe banana, jackfruit, taro/eddo (gabi), cassava root (balanghoy), sweet potato or purple yam to add color and tapioca (sago). Ginataan is a dish using coconut milk for cooking and bilo-bilo means cooking of rice balls mix with fruits. There are lots of names of this recipe like in visayan region they call this "Benignet or Tabirak", "Tambong-tambong" for the Ilocanos, "Bilo-bilo" or "halo-halo" (because of its round balls and mix fruits) in Tagalog region and "Kineler" for the Pangasinense. Others call it "palarosdos". This is usually cook during Holy Week, Halloween, death anniversaries, birthdays and sometimes in ordinary days as an afternoon snack. When there is leftover just put in the fridge and reheat the following day which for me is tastier than when freshly cook.
Here is my way of cooking Ginataang bilo-bilo/halo-halo mix with the fruits that I like:

Recipe:

Ingredients:

    1 pack rice flour
    1 cup water
    1 can coconut milk
    1/2 can coconut cream
    5 pcs. ripe banana saba, peeled and cut into cubes
    1 medium size cassava root, peeled and cut into cubes
    1 meduim size purple yam, peeled and cut into cubes
    1 cup jackfruit meat, cut into strips
    1 cup tapioca (sago), boiled
    3-4 cups of water for sauce/broth (add more of your preference)
    1-2 cups sugar
    pinch of salt
    vanilla or anise seeds (optional)

How to cook GINATAANG BILO-BILO (Rice Balls with Coconut Milk):

Procedure:

1. To make bilo-bilo, blend rice flour and water to make a dough like consistency. Not too dry and not too wet for the dough so    its easy when rolling into a small balls using your two hands.
2. When the dough is ready, get 1/4 cup of it and set aside for thickening the sauce. Scoop 1 tsp. of the dough and roll it like    a ball using your hands then put in a big plate.
3. Sprinkle the plate of rice flour powder so that the rice balls won't stick on the plate. Repeat step 1 and 2 until you finish    rolling the dough mixture.

Cooking Instructions:

4. In a big pan, put water, coconut milk, pinch of salt and let it boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Add in diced cassava root and purple yam and simmer for 10 minutes. 
5. Add sugar and stir, then put the banana, tapioca and jackfruit. Simmer for another 5 minutes or until all the fruits are almost cooked.
6. Pour in the rice ball and 1/4 cup of dough dissolve in 1/4 cup of water to thicken the sauce. Keep on stirring to prevent from sticking the rice balls with each other. Add now the coconut cream and stir again.
7. Add more sugar if necessary and vanilla or anise seeds to add the aroma. When the rice balls are floating and soft, that means that your bilo-bilo is cooked.
8. Remove from heat. Put in a bowl and serve! Enjoy eating.


See also:
  
FILIPINO DESSERTS:

• How to cook ARROZ CALDO (Broth/Soup Rice)
• How to make BUKO FRUIT SALAD (Filipino dessert) 
• How to bake CASSAVA CAKE (Filipino dessert)
• How to cook GINATAANG BILO-BILO (Rice Balls with Coconut Milk)
• How to make HALO-HALO (Filipino cold dessert mix)
• How to cook LECHE FLAN (Philippine version)

FILIPINO DISHES:

• ADOBONG KANGKONG (WATER SPINACH)
• ADOBONG MANOK (Filipino National Dish)
• ADOBONG PUSIT
• BEEF STEAK
• FILIPINO STYLE CHICKEN CURRY
• GINISANG AMPALAYA NA MAY ITLOG (sauteed bittermelon with egg)
• GINISANG MUNGGO (Sauteed Mung Beans)
• GINISANG UPO (Sauteed White Squash)
• KARE-KARE (Filipino dish - stew)
• LAING
• MECHADO (Filipino style)
• PAKBET or PINAKBET (Ilocano dish)
• PANCIT BIHON GUISADO
• PANCIT PALABOK
• PHILIPPINE SPRING ROLLS (Lumpiang Shanghai)
• PORK BINAGOONGAN
• SINIGANG NA BANGUS (Filipino soup dish)
• SINIGANG NA HIPON
• SINIGANG NA TILAPIA (Tilapia fish sour soup) 
• SPAGHETTI (Filipino Style)

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF ALL MY BLOGS