Ginataan is a Tagalog/Pilipino word which means cooked in coconut milk. Bilo-bilo is actually rice ball. Ginataan is a very popular merienda, afternoon snack, in the Philippines. Our meriendas are usually eaten at around 3:00pm, which is the second snack of the day, the first snack is eaten between 10:45- 11:00 and rather lighter in consistency as we have our lunch as mid-day.
Anyway Ginataan is a sumptuous mixture of fruits in season, although the main ingredient is usually a root crop – the Camote or better known as Sweet Potato. The bilo bilo is made from special glutenous rice which had been pounded and ground as in flour consistency. You would know that the bilo-bilo is cooked when it floats into the surface of the boiling ginataan.
Anyway to make this really delicious snack, ideal for those wintry afternoon , you’ll need the following ingredients, which thank goodness are now widely available in good Oriental or African supermarkets.
Ginataan with Bilo-Bilo Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup ground rice (glutinous)
2 medium size camote (sweet potatoes)
2 medium size gabi (taro)
4 bananas (saba)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 small size ube (yam)
5 cups coconut milk
1 cup jackfruit (langka)
2 tbsp tapioca.
Pare the ube, camote and gabi, Cut them into half and inch cubes.
Peel the bananas and cut them into slices crosswise.
Boil the ube, camote and gabi in the coconut milk.
Dilute the ground rice with small amount of water, just enough that you can make little balls from the mixture. Drop the little balls into the bubbling ginataan.
When the ube, camote and gabi have soften, drop the bananas, langka, tapioca, vanilla.
Sugar to taste.
Simmer until fully cooked.
Serve and enjoy.