Ginataang Bilo Bilo with Fruit Confetti

A lighter version of Ginataang Bilo Bilo that still has the chewy sweet rice balls and tapioca. This time served with fresh diced fruit of your choice. The more the better!

Ginataang means to cook in coconut milk. Bilo comes from the Visayan word that means round. Loosely translated to English this dish is could be called Coconut Milk Round Rounds. Haha. So funny. It does contain multiple rounds ingredients from the bouncy sweet rice balls and tapioca pearls. There is also the addition of chia in this recipe for added protein and fiber.

Traditionally Ginataang Bilo Bilo is made with cubed ube, sweet potato, saba banana and strips of jackfruit along with coconut milk, sweet rice balls and tapioca pearls. In my opinion, it's a bit on the heavy side. In our family this dish is made during the holidays or when something big has happened in your life. Big as in money making big as the balls symbolizes coins and it's really thick and rich.

This time instead of all the starchy stuff, we add some fresh fruit instead. I have to say, it's so much lighter and fresher.

Ginataang Bilo-Bilo Ingredients

For the sweet rice balls you will need the following. If you have made the Palitaw recipe it's very similar. We are just making half the amount.

Sweet Glutinous Rice Flour - My go to brand is Koda Farms Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour

Sugar - We add a bit for sweetness and a softer texture.

Water - It's the binder for the balls.

For the Coconut Soup Base

Instant Tapioca Pearls - You can get these at your local Asia grocery store. Most come from Vietnam.

Chia Seeds - So full of fiber and helps keep your cholesterol down and gives your heart some love. It also has the same texture as the tapioca pearls so you don't really notice it.

Coconut Milk - The key flavor of the Ginataang Bilo Bilo comes from the coconut milk. Make sure you use the full fat can.

Water - For the water you are going to use the same can the coconut milk came from and fill it up to the top and add that too the soup base.

Sugar - You just need a little bit to get a slight sweetness. Remember the best desserts are the ones that are not so sweet.

For the Fruit Confetti

Here you can be super creative and cut up any fruit you like. I used strawberries, blueberries, kiwi and persimmon to get a nice rainbow assortment of fruit. Just cut them all into about the same size.

How To Make the Bilo Bilo

In a bowl mix together the glutinous rice flour, sugar and water. Use your fingertips to bring the flour into the water, slowly incorporating everything into a dough. Keep mixing until it is nice and soft. Then roll the dough into tiny 1 cm size balls. This is a great time to get your kids to help you make the balls. Just pre-cut them to size and have them roll it up. My daughter helped make me make these and the balls ended up to be different sizes. It's okay! Let them help. They tend to eat the food they help make.

Bring 4 cups of water to boil in a small pot and drop the sweet rice balls into the water. Stir them initially so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Wait for the balls rise up to the top of the pot (about 2 minutes) and then leave them to cook for 1 minute more.

Turn off the heat and skim them out of the hot water into an ice bath.

Rinse out the pot and pour in 4 cups of new water. Bring it to a boil and then add in the instant tapioca pearls. Cook for 10 minutes. Strain and rinse in cold water. Place in a bowl.

Make the Ginataang Base

Rinse out the pot for the third time and pour in 1 can of coconut milk. Use the same can and fill it up with water and add it into the pan along with the chia seeds and sugar. Drain the sweet rice balls and add to the pan plus the cooked tapioca pearls. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes until the Ginataang Bilo Bilo is heated through.

How to serve Ginataang Bilo bilo

Transfer the cooked Ginataang Bilo Bilo into a serving bowl. Arrange a variety of cut fruit around it. Serve each person a bowl and have them pick their own fruit to add to the bowl. It can be eaten warm or cold.

As the Ginataang Bilo Bilo cools over time, the soup will start to get absorbed by the chia and tapioca so it will to get thick. You can add more coconut milk (or other milk if you wish) to the dish to loosen it.

How to Store

This does keep in the refrigerator well for up to 3 days. If you wish to warm it up just add some more coconut milk to it to loosen it up. I can be eaten straight from the refrigerator as well, nice and cold. Which is what I prefer. Again add more milk to loosen it up and make it more soupy.

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