Ginataang Halo-halo

Ginataang halo-halo is a classic Filipino dessert dish made of sweet potatoes, purple yam, taro, tapioca pearls, bilo bilo balls, langka strips and saba banana all stewed in a sweet and creamy coconut sauce. Whether eaten hot or cold, the ginataang halo halo will surely tickle the tastebuds of a sweet tooth. If you can’t decide for a sweet dessert, the ginataang halo halo will give you everything you want to sweetly conclude your meal!

GINATAANG HALO HALO RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1 cup glutinous rice flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon ube flavoring
• 3 cups coconut milk
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup orange sweet potato (sliced)
• 1 cup purple sweet potato (sliced)
• 3 saba bananas (sliced)
• 1/3 cup jackfruit strips
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup tapioca pearls (uncooked)
• a bunch of pandan leaves (optional)
• A pink of salt (optional)
• Ube flavoring (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add the uncooked tapioca pearls. Set the heat to medium low. Cover the pot and let it cook for 15 minutes.
2. After 15 minutes, the center of the sago is still white. Turn the heat off, cover the pot and set it aside until fully cooked.
3. In a bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour and water. Mix well until sticky. You may add more water if needed. Then, knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth.
4. Divide the dough in half. Set aside the other half. Add a few drops of ube flavoring to on half of the dough and knead to distribute the color.
5. Scoop a small portion of the dough and roll into balls. Do this also to the uncolored half of the dough.
6. Pour 3 cups of water in a large pot. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and then cover the pot. Wait for the water to boil. Add the sliced orange and purple sweet potatoes and stir a bit. Cover the pot and let them cook. When already fork tender, add the sliced saba bananas and jackfruit strips. Add the rice balls one by one to avoid them from sticking to one another. Stir occassionally.
7. Once the bananas are half cooked, pour the coconut milk. Add the brown sugar and then mix well. Adjust the amount of brown sugar according to your sweetness preference.
8. Add the cooked tapioca pearls gradually, and stir well to avoid clumping.
9. Add a bunch of pandan leaves to add a sweet fragrance. Cover the pot and wait for it to boil. Stir occassionally.
10. Transfer the ginataang halo halo to a serving bowl. Enjoy it hot or cold, however you like. Yum!

WHAT IS HALO HALO?

“Halo-halo” is a Tagalog term which means “mixed”. While it can literally be any dish which is mixed, the term halo halo usually refers to the cold dessert comprised of sago, gulaman, saging, ube, leche flan, beans, kamote, and crushed ice, made creamy by the evaporated milk.

The halo halo is one of the most enjoyed desserts in the Philippines especially during the summer. But did you know that there is a hot version of this dish? Yes, it is the ginataang halo halo.

The ginataang halo halo still lives up with the name and the concept of the original halo halo. But instead of evaporated milk, the gata or coconut milk is used to make this creamy. Most of the ingredients used in the halo halo was also used in the ginataang halo halo, particularly the saging, sago, and kamote. This hot version of the halo halo is made much more special since small balls of glutinous rice (bilo bilo) are added.

GINATAANG HALO HALO

I have always been a fan of coconut cream and coconut milk. If you ask me if what among the coconut milk and the dairy milk do I prefer more, then that would torn me apart.

As a dessert person, I really love desserts which compliments the heavy meal I just ate. There’s no doubt that the iced halo halo is one of the best desserts in the Philippines. Aside from this, people needs more appreciation to its hot version, the ginataang halo halo.

Aside from the fact that it uses coconut milk, the variety of ingredients fits each other well, making a sweet and creamy dish just enough to cleanse the palate. It can also be eaten as a breakfast or a snack! I really love it when some of the saba banana and kamote are crushed and already mixed in the coconut sauce. Yum!

I usually eat it hot, but you can also try its cold version by making it warm for a bit, and then adding ice cubes.

Do you want it hot or cold? Love it anytime you want! If you wanna try making some ginataang halo halo at home, read and follow the simple steps below.

HOW TO MAKE GINATAANG HALO HALO

Making ginataang halo halo is actually easier than you imagined. All the following steps are very straightforward. If you have tried making ginataang saging in the past, then this recipe will be simple for you.

Before anything else, prepare the ingredients. Slice the sweet potatoes into large chunks. Cut the langka into strips. Slice the saba bananas into bite-sized pieces. For the tapioca pearls, you can try to buy a cooked version. If not, simply boil them at home until fully cooked. After minutes of cooking, you might notice that the center is still white. To fully cook them, just set it aside with the cover on, and let them cook fully using the remaining heat from inside the pan.

Then, let’s make the bilo bilo! Start by making the dough by combining the glutinous rice flour with water. What we aim to have is a smooth and sticky dough. Adjust the water added as needed. No need to season this since the bilo bilo must be in its natural flavor. The bilo bilo in ginataang halo halo is usually white. Since we wanted to be a little extra for this recipe, divide the dough into two. Color the other half purple by using food coloring. Roll the dough into small balls (around 1/2 – 1 inch in diameter). After rolling, put the balls in a container with glutinous rice flour just for them not to stick to one another.

Now, we will start cooking the halo halo ingredients one by one. Let’s start with the sweet potatoes. Add some water in a pot and then boil the potatoes. This liquid will also be the sauce base for later so don’t put too much water. Add the rest of the ingredients until everything is on the pot to cook together. Take note to add the tapioca pearls and bilo bilo gradually to make sure that they don’t stick to one another.

Check if the bilo bilo is cooked by doing a taste test. When every ingredient is going well, then it’s ready!

I sometimes like my ginataang halo halo hot, but most of the time, I want it cold. You can serve the ginataang halo halo straight from the pot or wait for it to cool a bit and then add some ice cubes. Yum!

COOKING TIPS

• If you want a more colorful ginataang halo halo, you can try coloring the bilo bilo dough into different colors.

Paano Magluto ng Ginataang Halo-halo

Mga Sangkap:

• 1 cup malagkit powder
• 1/2 cup tubig
• 1/4 teaspoon ube flavoring
• 3 cups gata
• 3 cups tubig
• 1 cup orange kamote (sliced)
• 1 cup purple kamote (sliced)
• 3 saba saging (sliced)
• 1/3 cup langka
• 1 cup asukal na pula
• 1/2 cup sago (uncooked)
• a bunch of pandan leaves (optional)
• isang kurot na asin (optional)
• Ube flavoring (optional)

Paano Lutuin:

1. Magpakulo ng maraming tubig. Ilagay ang mga sago saka iadjust sa mahinang katamtaman ang apoy. Takpan ang kawali at hayaan itong maluto ng 15 minuto.
2. Pagkatapos ng 15 minuto, may puti pa rin sa gitna ng mga sago. Patayin ang apoy at takpan ang kawali. Isantabi ito hanggang mawala ang mga puti.
3. Paghaluin ang glutinous rice flour at tubig sa isang bowl. Haluin ito hanggang maging malagkit. Pwedeng dagdagan ng tubig kung kailangan. Masahin ang nagawang dough ng ilang minuto hanggang maging smooth.
4. Hatiin ang dough sa dalawa at isantabi ang kalahati. Maglagay ng ilang drops ng ube flavoring sa isang portion at masahin para maging pantay ang kulay.
5. Kumuha ng konting portion ng dough at iroll hanggang maging balls. Gawin din ito sa iba pang dough, pati na rin sa dough na walang kulay.
6. Maglagay ng 3 tasa ng tubig sa pot. Budburan ito ng konting asin saka takpan. Kapag kumukulo na, ilagay ang orange at purple kamote at haluin ng konti. Takpan ang pot at hayaan itong lumambot. Kapag malambot na, pwede nang ilagay ang saba bananas at langka strips. Ilagay ang mga balls isa isa para siguradong hindi magdikit dikit. Haluin paminsan minsan.
7. Kapag medyo malapit nang maluto ang saba, ilagay ang gata. Sunod na ilagay ang asukal na pula at haluin. Dagdagan ang asukal depende kung gaano mo katamis ito gusto.
8. Ilagay ang mga sago nang paunti unti at haluin para hindi magdikit dikit.
9. Magkalagay ng dahon ng pandan para mas maging mabango. Takpan ang pot at hayaan itong kumulo. Haluin paminsan minsan.
10. Ilipat ang ginataang halo halo sa serving bowl. Enjoyin ito ng malamig o mainit. Yum!