Hi everyone! April here from RelaxLangMom.com. It’s the rainy season here in Marinduque which always makes me crave some comfort food. As the clouds bellow and skies weep outside, I’ve been dreaming up delicious dishes to delight your darling ones from the inside. Today I’m sharing a crave-worthy concoction that’s sure to satisfy even the sourest of stomachs – creamy ginataang bilo-bilo!
Making Traditional Desserts Easy by Cooking with Modern Appliances in the Kitchen
Recently I’ve been experimenting with making traditional Philippine desserts like ginataang bilo bilo but using some modern appliances like the instant pot to make things a bit easier in the kitchen. I wanted to share one of my instant pot recipes with you that takes the hassle out of some of the more labor-intensive steps.
Ginataang bilo bilo is one of my favorite creamy tapioca desserts. This Filipino dessert is known by many names. In my island (and in Southern Tagalog) it’s called Pinaltok but known in the mainland as Bilo Bilo. In the Visayas and Mindanao regions, it’s called Binignit. Some people also call it Ginataang Halo -Halo (which is a version of the iced Halo Halo except that it’s a warm soupy version.) It can be made all year round but it is usually prepared for Holy Week.
For those not familiar, bilo bilo is made with sweet potato, banana, jackfruit and of course those adorable little tapioca balls. (It’s actually the Tapioca balls which are called bilo bilo -maybe from bilog bilog (small circles?) Imagine chewy glutinous rice balls (like mochi but more Filipino!), tender sweet potatoes, and the exotic flavors of ube and langka (jackfruit), all swimming in a luscious, creamy coconut milk base. In Mindanao (Binignit version), they won’t cook it if there is a missing ingredient and it absolutely needs to have all kinds of root crops in it – ube, balinghoy (cassava), San Fernando (yautia or giant taro root), gabi (taro root), and camote (sweet potato).
I could wax poetic about this dessert forever. Ginataang Bilo-Bilo is a hug in a bowl – a sweet symphony of flavors and textures that dance on your tongue. It’s like a tropical vacation, perfect for those days when you need a little extra comfort and joy. Traditionally it’s made by simmering everything on the stovetop until tender then mixing in coconut milk. It takes some patience since you have to stir constantly to prevent burning.
Step-by-Step to Sweet Bilo Bilo Perfection
A couple of weeks ago I decided to try using my instant pot to speed up the cooking process. First I made the bilo bilo balls by mixing glutinous rice flour with just a bit of water to form a dough. You’re looking for a dough-like consistency, so add water as needed. Knead it like you’re kneading away your worries, until it’s smooth. Then, form into cute ½-inch balls. This is a great step to get the kids involved – they’ll love playing with the dough! No change there – it’s actually kind of relaxing to shape the little dumplings.
Next instead of using a pot on the stovetop, I placed all the vegetables like sweet potato, ube, and saging (banana) directly into the instant pot with just enough water to cover. I sealed it up and used the “soup” function to cook everything under pressure for 5 minutes. When it was done, everything was perfectly tender with no extra babysitting required. I then opened it up and added my rice balls, jackfruit, and tapioca balls before securing the lid again and extending the “soup” setting to another 10 minutes. The colors alone will start to brighten your day!
The last step was mixing in my coconut milk, condensed milk, and cream until melted together and cooking it for another 10 minutes. This time I cooked it on “keep warm” to bring everything together. The instant pot does such a great job of breaking down flavors gently when you cook things this way.
The result was the creamiest, dreamiest ginataang bilo bilo I’ve ever had. All the flavors were intensified from cooking under pressure and blending broke it down to an almost mousse-like texture. Best of all, it came together in under an hour with almost no effort on my part. I’m sure you’ll love it as much as my family did. Let me know if you give this recipe a try!
A Few Tips and Tricks for Your Instant Pot Bilo Bilo
- Consistency is Key: Aim for a thick, but pourable consistency. If it’s too thick, add a little water; too thin, let it simmer a bit longer.
- Make it Your Own: Feel free to customize! Add more fruits, or swap in ingredients that your family loves.
- Safety First: When involving kids, always supervise them, especially around hot stoves and when handling knives.
That’s it for today’s post. As always, I hope these shortcuts help make home cooking a bit more relaxing. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter below to get new recipe ideas and kitchen hacks delivered to your inbox every month. You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram @relaxlangmom for more family-friendly Filipino recipes. Happy cooking and see you next time!
Ingredients
Shopping List:
- 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
- 1 cup yellow sweet potato, diced
- 1 cup ube, diced
- 1 cup ripe saging na saba (ripe plantain), diced
- 1/2 cup langka (jackfruit), shredded
- 1 cup fresh Coconut Milk
- 1/2 cup Condensada
- 1 packet All Purpose Cream
- 1 cup pre cooked tapioca (sago)
Pantry Items:
- 4 cups Water
Tools Needed:
- Instant Pot
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cups/spoons
- Cutting board
- Knife
Instructions
- Mix glutinous rice flour with a bit of water to form a dough. Aim for a smooth, dough-like consistency. Knead the dough, then, form it into ½-inch balls.
- Place the diced sweet potato, ube, and saging na saba in the Instant Pot. Add just enough water to cover them. Secure the lid and use the “Soup” function to cook everything under pressure for 5 minutes.
- After the first pressure cook, open the pot after releasing steam. Add the dough balls, jackfruit, and precooked tapioca balls. Close the lid and set the Instant Pot on the “Soup” setting again for another 10 minutes.
- Finally, add the coconut milk, condensed milk, and cream to the pot. Set the Instant Pot to “Keep Warm” and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Make bilo-bilo dough balls ahead of time and freeze. Just thaw and add to the simmering stew.
Vegetarian/Vegan:
Omit condensed milk and creamer.
Leftovers: Refrigerate for 3-4 days. Can also freeze portions for 1 month. Reheat on stove or microwave until warmed through.
Nutritional Benefits:
Sweet potato and ube are excellent sources of vitamin A which is good for vision.
Saging na saba and langka provide vitamin B6, potassium and fiber.
Coconut milk is a source of healthy fats.
Tapioca pearls/sago add carbohydrates for energy.
