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I’m so happy with this month’s KCC theme because coconut milk is my favorite! :) I have posted many of my favorite gata (coconut milk) recipes already but there are so much more that I haven’t shared yet like this recipe: Ginataang Halo-Halo or Ginataang Bilo-Bilo, it’s my mom’s favorite and she used to cook it often especially on weekends when she didn’t have work in the office. It’s mine and my sisters’ favorite too.
Ginataan means cooked in coconut milk, it can be sweet or savory. Ginataan Halo-Halo like other gata recipes is really simple to make, there’s just quite a lot of ingredients, so the preparation is actually quite harder than the cooking itself -which is basically just boiling, like making a pot of soup; a sweet coconut soup that is.
My mom made us help her in making this when we were little; I was assigned in making the glutinous rice flour dough into balls but I preferred helping in peeling and chopping the saba banana so I can eat some too (when my mother’s not looking bec she doesn’t want us to eat raw saba) . I really didn’t like bilo-bilo when I was young, if it was just up to me, my way, I wouldn’t add any bilo-bilo at all but but my mom loves these chewy dough balls and she puts a lot in her ginatan. I like bilo-bilo now, btw.
This is called ginataang halo-halo ( a mix or variety put together) because it has lots of ingredients and it’s also called ginataang bilio-bilo after the glutinous rice flour dough balls in it, but we simply refer to this as ginatan.
More Ginataan: Ginataan Tutong, Ginataang Calabasa ( Squash in Coconut Milk), Chicken Adobo in Coconut Milk and my husband’s favorite and mine too: Bicol Express ( Pork and Chillies in coconut milk), if you’re into hot and spicy food, you should try making it, it’s sooo good!
THE INGREDIENTS
my daughter made these bilo-bilo ^-^
you can buy these sago pre-cooked from the market ..but I prefer cooking it myself
boil coconut milk and sugar..add saba and kamote ( sweet potato) first..simmer until they’re half-done
..then add the langka, bilo-bilo and sago.. and lastly the coconut cream..and it’s done!
yummy, filling afternoon snack… especially good on cold rainy days
GINATAANG HALO-HALO ( aka GINATAANG BILO-BILO)
Ingredients
4 cups fresh thin coconut milk (or 2 cans of coconut milk diluted with enough water to make 4 cups)
3/4 -1 cup sugar ( you can use white, brown or muscovado sugar)
saba banana, diced
sweet potato, diced
langka strips ( jackfruit)
tapioca balls, pre-cooked ( I like to use baby tapioca balls)
pandan essence or pandan leaves, optional
glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup thick coconut milk or coconut creamHere’s How:
Cook tapioca balls ( sago) in boiling water.
Add enough water to glutinous rice flour to make a dough, it shouldn’t be too wet or too dry, knead a little then form in half-inch balls, cover and set aside.Put thin coconut milk and sugar in a 2-quart pot/saucepan, stir until sugar is melted. Bring to a boil over mdium-high heat. Add sweet potato frist, cook for a minute then add saba banana and langka strips. simmer until banana is cooked then add the tapioca balls and glutinous rice balls. Cover and let simmer; add in pandan essence if using; when the dough balls floats to the top, it’s cooked, add the coconut cream and just heat through, that’s it! I told you, it’s easy! :)
Be careful..it can be very hot especially the dough balls or bilo-bilo..let cool to room temperature .before serving
Please check out more ginataan from other KCC Members!
♥ Thanks for reading…have a nice day!! ♥
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how do i make those bilo-bilo bouncers? until now i can’t find myself making desserts. i miss this. we usually have this as an afternoon snack in the phils.
This is good=;) We call this binignit. I’m now craving for one. I just made Bilo-bilo last weekend and was debating between the Ginataan Hipon or the Bili-bilo wish i could blog both at one time but just didn’t have the time=;)
I love this dish. My mum makes it alot too. It’s a fond childhood memory for me :)
Oh wow…I love this! This is one of my top comfort food! It looks so delicious!
I didn’t even think of including jackfruit. Yours look so good.
We have a dessert that is similar to this one except we don’t use nangka and potatoes…just the sago and banana and the coconut milk of cos! Really delicious!