Ginataang Bilu-bilo Once Again

 

 

One of my favorite snacks here in the Philippines is ginataang bilu-bilo. We used to have this when we were kids because my late mom loved to cook this. Since we've been here in the Philippines, I cooked this many times already. At first I didn't do it right but on my 2nd and 3rd try, I did it better. It tasted and looked better compared with my first try. I think, next time I will cook it, it will be perfect, wink!

INGREDIENTS:

2 c glutinous rice flour and water

6 c of coconut milk (about 2 pieces coconuts)

5 pcs saging na saba

2 pcs medium cassava

1 c of ripe jack fruit

½ tbsp anise seeds

1 c sago

sugar to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and cut into desired sizes the saging na saba and cassava. Add just enough water to glutinous rice and mix it. Form the glutinous rice into tiny balls or bilu-bilo. Prepare strands of langka for aroma and have 1 c sago ready.

Extract milk from the ground coconut by adding 2 cups of water; set aside the first extraction or coconut cream, which should yield about 2 cups of coconut milk. Add another 4 cups of water to already extracted ground coconut and from it, extract a less concentrated coconut milk; this is your 2nd extraction.

Cut the jack fruit flesh into strips.

Let the second extraction of coconut milk boil in a big pot with the cassava; once boiling, put in the saging na saba, glutinous rice balls, jack fruit, sago and anise seeds. Add more water as needed.

Add sugar according to your taste and let it cook. Put in the coconut cream and let it boil once just before serving.

I Cooked Puto

I was in the mood this morning to cook puto. It's not the puto that used to cook from scratch. It's from the box this time. It was my first time to try this kind of puto mix from White King. Since I don't eat white sugar because it's unhealthy, I used brown sugar instead. I used the mini muffin molders and it yielded 2 dozens. I topped it with butter. To my surprise, the puto was good. I shared it with hubby, my niece, by brother and his wife but I ate most of it. Yummy to the tummy!

Suman Sa Ibus

Yesterday, my brother cut the coconut tree in front of our house. We gathered the young leaves and my sister and I decided that we gonna make suman sa ibus, a native delicacy made of glutinous rice. It was our first time to make this kind of suman. We used to make suman wrapped in banana leaves. We bought 2 kilos of glutinous rice and 2 grated matured coconuts for the main ingredients. Though it was our first time to make suman wrapped in coconut leaves, the outcome turned out good. It was so yummy! We ate it this morning and also for our snacks this afternoon. Here's the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups glutinous rice
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups thick coconut milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook glutinous rice in water with the coconut milk and salt in a pan. Mix it well by stirring constantly until it's half cooked.
2. Prepare ibus then fill with rice mixture.
4. Seal tubes and tie with strips of the ibus.
5. Arrange the suman in a big saucepan and cover with water.
6. Cover the pot and boil for 1 hour or until cooked.
7. Serve with sugar or ripe mango.

How to wrap Suman Sa Ibus

* Fold the end of the coconut leaf by 1 ½ inches.
* Fold the bottom edge into a triangle.
* Start rolling up the coconut leaf in an overlapping manner.
* Roll up the buri to make a tube.
* Attach a small piece of wooden pick to secure the tube.
* Fill the tube with glutinous rice.
* Seal the ibus tube.
* Tie with strips of buri.

Ginataang Bilu-bilo

My late mom used to make bilu-bilo for our snacks when she was still alive. She love making different native delicacies because she was a good cook. When she passed away, we seldom eat bilu-bilo because nobody had the time to do it. It takes a while to form balls from the dough and it takes patience to do it.

During the 2nd wedding anniversary of my brother and his wife, they prepared bilu-bilo here in the house. It was my sister-in-law who formed the balls and our maid prepared the other ingredients. After it was cooked, it was time to eat. I really missed eating bilu-bilo and we enjoyed the food together with the other foods that we prepared like maja blanca, pancit and ice cream.

INGREDIENTS:

5 pc saging na saba
3 c kakang gata
1 pc kamote
1 tsp salt
1 pc ube (optional)
½ c galapong for bilo-bilo
½ c sago (small)
2-4 c grated coconut
2 c sugar (white)
Pandan leaf (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and cut into desired sizes the saging na saba, kamote, gabi, ube (optional). Form the galapong into tiny balls or bilu-bilo. Prepare strands of langka and pandan leaf for aroma and have ½ c tiny sago ready.

Prepare 2-3 c gata. Set aside the kakang gata for use later for that extra-creamy taste and presentation.

In a big pot, mix all the ingredients together, except bilu-bilo, using the second gata. Bring to a boil. Add sugar and then bilu-bilo.

Let boil until all the ingredients are cooked. Serve hot in a small bowl. Add kakang gata if more creamy texture is desired.