Homemade Ube Halaya— A popular jam made from mashed purple yam or more commonly known as ube.
I remember the days when you were just casually driving along the highways, especially in regions along or near Laguna, you would see a lot of stores that sell different kinds of delicacies, you tend to see some buko pie, some unique types of bread, cassava cakes, and whatnot.
One of the good things you can see are the stores selling the Ube Halaya. If you already had the luxury of having a taste of this delicacy, then you know that it is one irresistible experience. Now here in this article, you can try to make one yourself!
What is Ube Halaya?
Ube Halaya is a famous dessert all over the Philippines. This is a unique dessert that is made out of what is called the purple yam or ube. It is similar to nilupak, which is a boiled delicacy made from starchy food such as cassava that is pounded and mixed with coconut sugar.
This version is made from purple yam that is boiled and then mashed and mixed together with coconut milk and butter, along with other sweeteners such as sugar, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and sometimes even vanilla extract.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ube
You will need to source actual ube to make an authentic ube jam. If raw fresh ones are not available in your area, you can use grated frozen ube from Asian stores.
Milk
We will be using a variety of processed milk in this recipe. These include sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and coconut milk. We used canned ones in this recipe.
Aside from these, you will be using other regular pantry ingredients like sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and cheese. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Cooking Pot- You will need a cooking pot or casserole or any cooking pan deep enough to fit and cook the contents of this recipe.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How to Make Ube Halaya
The process of making the ube halaya is quite easy and straightforward. However, it can be more exhausting than most of the other dishes you make because you need to have patience and a little bit of muscles.
No matter how tiring it may be, you will still be rewarded with a perfectly delicious dish that is to die for.
To make things easier, you can opt to find purple yam at the grocery store or supermarket, that is frozen and is already grated. If you want fresh ones, you are going to have to boil the purple yam first and mash them until it is smooth and free of lumps.
Once you have that ready, you are going to mix all of the ingredients in one large cooking pot and proceed to cook the whole mixture slowly until it forms a nice and thick consistency.
Remember that you have to stir constantly for the duration of the cooking process, because the mixture tends to stick to the pot if left unattended, so this is actually the tiring part.
You can add in the optional ingredient—cheese—to the mixture and cook for some couple of minutes until you have a delicious and sticky mixture. Now this mixture is thick enough and will mold once it cools so you need to transfer to a container and let it cool.
You can place it in the refrigerator for a better experience. While waiting for the ube to cool, some options for toppings you can pick are latik, coconut flakes, shredded cheese, or macapuno. This can also be partnered with ice cream or halo-halo.
How to Serve Ube Halaya
There are a lot of ways to enjoy or serve ube halaya. You can enjoy it by itself, especially if you have the above-mentioned toppings to go with it. You can serve it as a sandwich spread or top it over any bread. You can also make this an ingredient in other food like halo-halo, buchi, hopia, and cakes.
Ube Halaya Storage
If you want this delicacy to be ready for future use, you can store it in the refrigerator and it will last up to 4 or 5 days. If you think that you will need to store it for longer, you can choose to put it in the freezer and it will last for one month.
Be sure that it is nicely wrapped in a tight container to keep its freshness. This is a good idea if you’re planning on selling the delicacies to other people.
Other Filipino Dessert Recipes
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Ube Halaya (Purple Yam Jam) Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pot
Ingredients
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) grated purple yam (ube)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 can coconut milk
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract, optional
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese (Eden or Ques-o), topping
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed cooking pot set to medium heat, add in the grated purple yam, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk, butter, and sugar. Mix until well-blended.
- Bring to a boil and wait until the ingredients are melted or dissolved.
- Add-in the vanilla extract. Stir until the mixture is well-incorporated.
- Let it simmer while stirring every now and then for 30 to 50 minutes or until the consistency of the mixture is soft and sticky.
- Add-in the cheese and stir. Cook for another 15 minutes or until the mixture is thick and sticky enough.
- Transfer to a lightly greased container and let it cool.
- Top with grated cheddar cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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