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Ginataang bilo-bilo
Rice balls in coconut milk
Ginataang bilo-bilo: chewy rice balls, saba, sweet potato and jackfruit in coconut milk
On rainy afternoons across Luzon, a big pot of ginataan bubbles on the stove and the whole street seems to know about it. Little balls of glutinous rice dough, saba banana, purple and orange sweet potato, strips of ripe jackfruit and sago pearls all simmer together in sweet coconut milk until it thickens into a soft, fragrant soup. Serve it hot in bowls, or cold the next day when it sets almost like pudding. Chef's tip: make the rice balls no bigger than a marble; large ones stay raw and gummy in the middle long after the bananas have collapsed.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the rice balls
- 5 ½ oz glutinous rice flour
- ½ cup waterlukewarm
For the coconut soup
- 1 ¾ oz small tapioca pearls
- 3 ¼ cups coconut milk
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 2 pandan leaves (optional)knotted (optional but traditional)
- 9 oz sweet potatopeeled, 2 cm cubes
- 3 saba bananasripe, sliced 1.5 cm thick (or 2 small plantains)
- 3 ½ oz ripe jackfruitfresh or tinned in syrup, drained, cut in strips
- 4 oz white sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Boil 1 ¾ oz small tapioca pearls in a small pan of water for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, then turn off the heat, cover and leave until the pearls are clear with no white dot in the centre. Drain and rinse.
20 minStep 2: Meanwhile mix 5 ½ oz glutinous rice flour with ½ cup water into a soft dough that feels like earlobes. Add a spoonful more flour or water if it cracks or sticks.
3 minStep 3: Pinch off small pieces and roll them into marble-sized balls, setting them on a floured plate.
10 minStep 4: Bring 3 ¼ cups coconut milk, 1 ¾ cups water and 2 pandan leaves to a gentle simmer in a wide pot over a medium-low heat. Stir often and don't let it boil hard, or the coconut milk will split.
5 minStep 5: Add 9 oz sweet potato and simmer for 8 minutes, until the edges just begin to soften.
8 minStep 6: Drop in the rice balls a few at a time, stirring so they don't clump. Cook until they float and look glossy, then 2 minutes more.
5 minStep 7: Add 3 saba bananas, 3 ½ oz ripe jackfruit, 4 oz white sugar, ¼ tsp salt and the cooked sago. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the bananas are tender and the soup coats the back of a spoon. Remove the pandan and serve warm.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ginataang bilo-bilo take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
- What can I use instead of sweet potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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