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ginataang halo-halo (rice balls in coconut sauce)

This snack is made up of bilo-bilo (glutinous rice balls), sliced saba (plantains), sago (tapioca balls), langka (jackfruit), kamote (sweet potatoes) in a creamy coconut sauce. While these are the most common ingredients, it’s not unheard of to add ube (purple yam) or gabi (taro) to the mix.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 8 servings
Calories 145 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Sago:

  • 100 grams sago tapioca balls, small
  • 4 cups 960 ml water

For the Bilo-bilo:

  • 142 grams 1 cup glutinous rice flour
  • 2 tbsps ube powder optional
  • 1/2 cup 120 ml water
  • few drops of ube flavoring optional

Other Ingredients:

  • 2 cups 480 ml coconut milk
  • 1 cup 240 ml water
  • 73 grams 1/3 cup sugar
  • 400 grams sweet potato diced
  • 4 saba plantain bananas, sliced to 1-in thickness pieces
  • 6 pieces jackfruit cut into strips

For Banana Topping (Optional):

  • 2 saba plantain bananas, sliced thinly
  • 55 grams 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • oil for frying

Instructions
 

To make the sago:

  • Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
  • Add the sago, and boil for 10-15 minutes until the sago turns transparent. Stir the sago occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add more water as needed.
  • Once the sago balls are transparent, remove from the heat and drain completely. Put aside in a bowl.

To make the bilo-bilo:

  • In a bowl, combine the rice flour and ube powder.
  • Mix the water and a few drops of ube flavoring (if using).
  • Add the water to the rice flour and mix until it forms into a soft and flexible ball. You can add more drops to the ball for a stronger color but make sure to knead the dough thoroughly to mix the ube flavoring uniformly.
  • Divide into 24 balls using a half tablespoon. Set aside and cover with a damp towel.

To make the Ginataang Bilo-bilo:

  • In a large pot, mix the coconut milk, water, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer while stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
  • Add the sweet potato and boil for 5 minutes. Add the saba and boil for another 3 minutes.
  • Add the bilo-bilo and jackfruit strips. Cook until the bilo-bilo floats.
  • Mix the sago and stir to prevent lumps from forming. Cook for 5 minutes before removing from heat.
  • Serve warm or cold.

To make the saba topping:

  • Heat enough oil to deep fry the saba pieces.
  • Fry the saba slices until translucent.
  • Add the brown sugar to the oil. Swirl the saba slices in the brown sugar until they are coated.
  • Remove from the oil and set aside. Cool slightly before using as toppings.

Video

Notes

You can add more drops of ube flavoring if you want to have a more purple color to your bilo-bilo.
You can opt not to use ube powder or ube flavoring.
The ginataang bilo-bilo will thicken as it cools.
Keyword rice ball