Ginatang Bilo Bilo
(coconut sweet stew)
Specialty dessert with coconut cream and sweet yams. This dessert is very popular in the Philippines. One of the ingredients is called “bilo bilo”, it’s made from glutinous rice flour and water. The texture is pretty close to Japanese Mochi, chewy and smooth. The rest of the ingredients are tropical fruits and yams. The ripened plantain bananas add sweetness and creaminess to this dish, and a nice texture also.
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the ingredients
THE PURPLE YAM AND SWEET POTATO
- PURPLE YAM is a starchy root vegetable that’s very nutritious. It’s high in fiber, vitamin A, and potassium. It has grey-brown skin and purple flesh. The texture and taste are pretty close to a sweet potato but sweeter and creamier. It’s available in most Asian markets, and sometimes I see them at my local grocery store also.
- SWEET POTATO is also a root vegetable it has an orange color, sweet and creamy. And because of its deep orange color, it’s high in betacarotene which is great for the eyes.
PLANTAIN BANANAS AND JACKFRUIT
- Plantain banana is larger and tougher than regular bananas. It has green thicker skin when unripened and then it turns yellow with black spots or bruises when it ripened. The more bruises you see outside the skin the sweeter it tastes, they’re not bad just look bad from the outside. Plantains are also starchy and it requires cooking, they’re not enjoyable to eat raw.
- Jackfruit is a tropical fruit, grown in Southeast Asia. It’s fibrous, just like mango or banana. The taste is quite distinctive, when unripened it has a texture similar to pulled pork when cooked. I used the canned ripened jackfruit in this recipe, but I discarded the syrup so it’s not too sweet.
- Glutinous rice flour is also known as sticky rice. It’s made from cooked and dehydrated kernels of long or short-grain glutinous rice. It has a very different texture from regular rice flour. Glutinous rice flour yields a sticky and chewy texture like Japanese Mochi or dumplings which don’t require much structure. While rice flour and wheat flour are ideal for making cakes and bread.
- Coconut cream and coconut milk. I combined both in this recipe. Combining both coconut cream and coconut milk renders a much-balanced consistency, not too thick or not too thin. It has a nutty flavor and goes so well with the rest of the tropical fruits.
- Brown Sugar is made from molasses that makes it brown in color. I like using brown sugar for my sweets because of the molasses and slightly caramelized flavor.
- Vanilla Bean Paste is a combination of scraped-out vanilla seeds and vanilla extract. It’s a much thicker and rich paste and more concentrated in flavor.
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recipe
Ginatang Bilo Bilo (Coconut Sweet Stew)
A Filipino creamy coconut dessert with tropical fruits.
Equipment
- Stockpot
- Mixing bowls
- Ladle
- knife
- cutting board
- Cast iron or non stick skillet
Ingredients
- 1 cup glutinous flour, I used Mochiko brand
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, more for greasing your hands
- 1 sweet potato, peeled, sliced
- 1 purple yam, peeled, sliced
- 1 20 oz. canned jackfruit in syrup, drained, cut into thin strips
- 2 ripened plantain bananas, peeled, sliced
- 1 13 oz. coconut milk
- 1 13 oz. coconut cream
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the glutinous rice. Slowly add the water and continue stirring until the flour comes together. Add more water if needed (try adding a tablespoon at a time).
- Line a platter or small baking sheet pan with parchment paper. When the flour is ready, grease your hands with coconut oil (to prevent it from sticking). Scoop about a tablespoon of the flour mixture, roll between the palm of your hands to form a ball. Lay each ball on a prepared platter or pan. Set aside.
- Heat the skillet with oil, add the sweet potatoes, pan-fry for 2 minutes on each side or until tender. Set aside. Use the same pan, fry the purple yam and plantains the same way. Set aside to cool.
- Open the canned jackfruit, drain the syrup, cut into thin strips, set aside. After the sweet potato, purple yam, and plantains cooled, cut them into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
- Place a stockpot on the stove, add the coconut milk, coconut cream, and water, stir to combine. Add the glutinous rice balls, simmer for 5 minutes or until the rice balls float on top (at this point the rice balls are tender and cooked).
- Add sweet potato, purple yam, plantains, brown sugar, simmer until well heated. Add the vanilla bean paste at the end of cooking. Enjoy!
Notes
- When frying the sweet potato, purple yam, and plantains the flavor intensifies. And you get that caramelized taste that adds more depth to the flavor.
- You can skip frying the sweet potato, purple yam, and plantain bananas. It’ll have a long-simmering time to cook down all ingredients.
- You can use vanilla extract if that’s what you have available. I find vanilla bean to have a more concentrated flavor.
- The size of the rice balls can be smaller if you like. You can also add those tiny tapioca flour they normally add to this dish.
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Hello nice to meet you. I’m Jen.
Welcome to my virtual home. I’m a mom of two wonderful girls and a Community Education Culinary Instructor. I love to prepare and cook home-cooked meals. Cooking and planning your meals might sound like another chore added to your already long list of things to do. Believe me, I’ve been there. However, cooking and prepping meals will save you money, time, and you know what goes into your food. Definitely worth the effort. Read more…