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Ginataan is a Filipino term used to describe any food cooked in coconut milk. Ginataan bilo-bilo is a dessert made with glutinous rice balls in coconut milk. Two types of coconut milk, thick and thin, can be used in cooking. The classic ginataan dessert contains tubers, sweet potatoes, taro root, plantain, and jackfruit, along with starchy balls made of rice flour. The soup can be cooked to varying thickness.
In the Philippines, any food cooked in coconut milk can be described as ginataan, which literally means “made with coconut milk.” The term is used loosely to describe almost any food, from seafood to desserts, as long as coconut milk is the main stock. A food known solely as ginataan, however, it is a type of dessert that contains a variety of tubers and other ingredients and is cooked in coconut milk to create a sugary, glossy, sweet soup. In general, different varieties of ginataan simply have the name of their featured food attached to the end, as is the case with ginataan bilo-bilo, or balls of glutinous rice in coconut milk.
When a ginataan dish calls for coconut milk, there are actually two varieties that can be used, sometimes in tandem. The former is called thick coconut milk or milk pressed first. The second type is known as thin coconut milk. Both are created by chopping the flesh of a coconut, although the milk that comes out of pressing the flesh the first time is considerably thicker than that of subsequent pressings. Low-fat milk is often extracted by soaking or boiling the once-pressed coconut meat in water, making it much lighter in texture.
The classic dessert dish that is often called ginataan starts with different types of tubers. The most common are sweet potatoes and taro root. These are added to a pot that contains thick and thin coconut milk along with some sugar. Plantain and jackfruit can also be added to the soup. All ingredients are diced into small pieces so that they cook evenly.
While the coconut milk and other ingredients cook, another addition to the ginataan is a type of starchy ball. They can be tapioca pearls or handmade balls. The balls are made by mixing water with rice flour and then forming small pearls which are placed in boiling coconut milk. The whole soup is simmered until all the ingredients are tender and there is no glossy sheen on the dish.
The thickness of the completed soup can vary depending on the cook’s preference. The coconut milk will thicken as the starchy ingredients cook. The finished dish can be very thin, runny, and soup-like. It can also be cooked for a much longer time by reducing the milk until it thickens to a stew-like consistency.
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