Ginataang Bilo-Bilo a la London

Ginataang Bilo-Bilo

As I have indicated this morning of my intention to cook ginataang bilo-bilo, here are the photos of my effort. I have to make the ginataang bilo-bilo because for some reason, I am craving  it.

It was probably seeing those boxes of sweet potatoes going cheaply at Sainsbury’s supermarket.

I did not find any whole coconut in the shop, I supposed even if I’d found one, I would probably not bought one. I was not in the mood to do all the nitty gritty of halving a coconut and then prising apart the white mature coconut from its shell and then ensuring that any dark covering as residue from the coconut shell are shaved off. Also grating the white flesh so finely so I can milk it by squeezing the shreds with my bare hand to get to the milk was too much of a chore.

Just typing the process is tiring in itself. 😉 To bypass these rather intensive steps, I bought a couple of cans of coconut milk instead.

I have to say that the finish product tasted delicious and Peter like it.  This is a good sign that it was more than palatable.  My hubby does not care for coconuts; if it has coconut – he is not having it.  However with tonight’s bilo-bilo, Peter said it was truly yummy.

The Philippine-made still wins hands down. No contest whatsoever. Perhaps this is the lesson learnt from hard work of squeezing and milking a coconut, it is worth it in the end.

The Ingredients:

4 small Sweet Potatoes (Camote)
2 Plantains (substitute for Saba banana)
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla essence
2 cans coconut milk
1 can tapioca
1 cup rice flour

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These are ripe plantains. They are a good substitute for saba bananas.  However if you can get saba bananas then please do as they are still the best for any type of sweet pudding.

Top and tail and then peel the plantain.

They are slightly harder to peel than a ‘real’ banana.

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These little beauties are cubed sweet potatoes. First peel the potatoes then cut in half, again cut each half into three pieces lengthwise, from there cut into small cubes, about 3/4 inch cubes.
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Once you peeled the plantain, cut into bite size pieces diagonally, as seen in the picture.
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I sent Peter to the shop to get some tapiocas. He can’t find tapioca seed pearls. Sainsbury’s doesn’t even stock tapiocas in can anymore. Why? What happened to all tapioca-eating-loving people?

Anyway, Peter, being one of the diminishing topioca-eating-loving people, remembered that our local cornershop usually stocks tapioca so there away he went to get a can for me. By the way, I did say that I might not add tapioca to my Bilo-Bilo but Peter was not having any of it. He is so lovely and thoughtful.
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This is made of a cupful of rice flour with a tablespoon of water. Ensure to gradually add the water. It might be too much or too little. Use your hand and get kneading to make a dough. Pat it, bend it and pat again to make a sausage like dough.
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Now from the dough, pinch a little to make a ball using your palms. This is my favourite part. It was actually quite therapeutic to put a little dough as you swirl it around in between your palms.

Do this until you have used all the dough.

You can tell that this beautiful soft balls are cooked when you see them float into the boiling coconut soup, for lack of a better word. lol
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Since my beloved can’t find the uncooked variety of tapioca, we made do with the tinned ones, which of course was already a ready made pudding with yummy sweetened sauce. So as much as the sauce was delicious, I thought it would not go really with my Bilo-Bilo so I got colander and washed off most of the sauce.

As they are already cooked, I tipped the tapiocas to the boiling lava of my ginataang a few second before I turned off the heat.
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This was my cooking ginataang. I can’t help but have a few taste. The smell of boiling coconut gave a tropical scent to my kitchen. I wish I was in some tropical beach eating Bounty chocolate instead of wondering where the summer in the UK has gone?!!!
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~Wow, my husband is back from work and has taken over the photography of the ginataang bilo-bilo. He noticed how good it looked and how delicious it smelled. Well the proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say. Mr Peter, you will just have to tell me if this pudding will pass muster.
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This is it. Gorgeous bilo-bilo. I had too much I think, I have got a stomach ache! 😉