The variety of the purple yam found in the Philippines has been perceived as possessing more delectable flavor compared to other kinds found in other parts of the world. The better kind of ube is found in the cool mountain areas of Baguio that weighs to as much as six kilograms or more a piece.

This delicious flavor of the Filipino ube accounts for the global popularity of the halayang ube recipe. This version of the purple yam jam in the Philippines is a common ingredient in another internationally famous Filipino dessert called halo-halo (mix-mix).

While the ube yam goes well with mixed dessert recipes like ube-macapuno pie and ube pancake, it is still served at its best taste and flavor as a pure ube halaya dessert. In order to enjoy this palatable dessert, it would be good to cook the halayang ube recipe with some variations and add extra toppings when serving.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo ube yam root
• 2 cans condensed milk (12 ounces)
• 1 can evaporated milk (14 ounces)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla root extract

Cooking Instructions:

• Boil the ube yam with the skin still on a large pot.
• Simmer for about 30 minutes and then drain the water and let the boiled ube cool down.
• Peel the ube skin and mash it until consistently fine.
• Melt butter on a large deep pan over low to medium.
• Add in the condensed milk mixing it thoroughly with the vanilla root extract.
• Mix in the mashed boiled ube and constantly stir until it thickens to a sticky moist mixture. Make sure it does not burn by turning down the fire to low.
• Just before it dries up, add the evaporated milk and thoroughly stir for another 20-30 minutes until the mixture thickens to a more solidified texture.
• Let the mixture cool down a bit and transfer it on a nicely shaped container.
• Place the halayang ube in the refrigerator for cooling and better solidification.
• Serve by taking it out of the molding container and placing the nicely shaped ube halaya on a platter.

For a variation of cooking the halaya dessert, you may add freshly grated coconut milk to give it the coconut flavor. Another variation is adding lemon rind (Flipino calamansi) to the mixture just before it thickens in the near end cooking process.

For added serving flavor, you may spread butter on top of the solidified halayang ube or sprinkle grated cheese over it. A variation of this that suits the energetic eater is sprinkling white sugar on top of the halayang ube in order to create the similar taste as the ube candy balls.

Yams are purple colored root crops that make the primary ingredients in some popular desserts in the Philippines. The ube yam which is native to this country is actually more violet in color than the purple yams found in America.

The Filipino ube is far more delectable also in terms of creamy flavor and texture. That is why it is a perfect ingredient for the internationally known yam dessert called “halaya”.

Halaya is made from boiled, peeled and mashed ube cooked over low to medium fire in butter mixed with condensed milk. The mixture is stirred constantly until it thickens and then transferred in a mold container.

It is best refrigerated for about two hours then served cold on a platter. Another form of serving it would be to make candy balls of the solidified halaya and roll them on white sugar. They could be wrapped in multi colored candy wrappers and served for the greater delight of children.

The thickened yam mixture may also be placed in jar storage and refrigerated as ube jam. This preserved purple yam jam makes good spread on sandwiches much like peanut butter.

It may also be mixed as a topping together with leche flan on the crushed ice of the world famous Filipino dessert called “halo-halo” (mix-mix). In this case the ube jam is mixed with other sweetened ingredients like boiled beans, cooked banana, tapioca, coconut gel, sweet corn, and young coconut.

More than serving it as a luscious dessert, the ube yam jam could also be an excellent ingredient for your breakfast pancake. The following are the ingredients and cooking procedure for the ube jam pancake:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tbsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fresh milk
• 1 ½ tbsp cooking oil
• 3 tbsp ube jam

Cooking Directions:

• Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a big mixing bowl.
• Beat the egg lightly in another bowl while adding oil, and milk, stirring until thoroughly mixed.
• Add this egg mixture into the big bowl of the flour mixture. Mix everything well until consistently blended.
• Add the ube jam to the flour-egg mixture, slowly stirring and leaving clumps in the mixture.
• Grease frying pan with cooking oil and place it over low fire on the stove.
• Scoop 1/4 cup batter from the bowl and pour it on the heated pan.
• Cook over low to medium fire until bubbles begin to appear. Then turn over and cook the flip side for 3-4 more minutes.
• Spread margarine with the Karo syrup on top of the cooked pancake.
• Top each pancake with ube jam, macapuno (sweetened coconut sport) and grated cheese.

The purple yam or “ube” in the Philippines is one of the most delectable ingredients used for dessert. This delicious and nutritious root crop could be made into jams or cakes mixed with other well-known dessert ingredients like the “macapuno” or coconut sport.

The most popular ube recipe is the dessert called “halaya” which is the Filipino version of the purple yam jam. The following is the ingredients and cooking instruction for this luscious dessert.

Ingredients:

• ½ kg.  boiled ube, peeled and mashed till consistent in texture
• 1 regular can condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla root extract
• ¼ cup butter

Cooking instruction:

• Melt the butter in a heated cooking pot over medium fire.
• Put in the condensed milk little by little while stirring to blend well with the melted butter.
• Mix the well-mashed ube portion by portion, stirring continuously to perfect blending with milk-butter mixture.
• Add the vanilla root extract while stirring constantly over low fire for about 20 minutes until the mixture thickens.
• Put the thick ube mixture to a nicely shaped container to cool it down.
• Place it in the refrigerator for faster solidification and cooling for no less than 2 hours.
• Gently remove the halaya dessert from the mold and serve it on a platter.

The key to the more delectable texture of the halaya is the non-stop stirring over low fire until the mixture consistently thick. Molding containers usually come in fish or fruit shapes which give the halaya a more inviting look when finally served on a nice platter.

For the ube cake dessert, the most famous ube recipe is the one mixed with the coconut sport or macapuno. The ingredients for the ube-macapuno cake are as follows:

Ingredients

• 2 ½  cups of flour used for baking cakes
• 1 cup boiled ube, peeled and mashed till consistent in texture
• ¾ cup whole milk
• ½ cup corn syrup
• ½  cup corn oil
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon iodized salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla root extract
• 7 egg yolks, separated from the egg white and beaten lightly
• 7 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup refined sugar
• 6 drops red food color
• 6  drops blue food color
• 1  jar macapuno (coconut sport)
• 1 cup evaporated milk, chilled
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 drop violet food coloring

The lusciousness of fruits is an asset in their natural freshness but it also turns out to be a liability in keeping them from spoiling. The reason for this is the water in the fruits’ own juice is what attracts microbes and causes them to thrive and multiply in the fruits during the process of decay.

Thus the process of making fruit jams was discovered in order to preserve the fruits so that people would still enjoy them long after the season harvest. The heat brought about by the boiling process together with the addition of large amounts of sugar is intended to keep bacteria and fungi from growing in fruit jams.

A layer of paraffin wax is usually placed on the fruit jam’s surface to keep molds away especially when the jams are prepared at home without chemical preservatives. The natural ingredients for jam being organic are prone to attract microorganisms which make it necessary to take all possible natural precautionary measures to optimize fruit preservation.

When fruits are boiled in water with sugar, a gelatin-like substance results due to the mixing of fruits acidic juices with its natural pectin. Pectin is a fibrous substance generated from the fruit flesh during the cooking process.

Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes and apples are known to be full of the pectin soluble fiber but the other soft fleshed fruits like peaches and apricots do now have it as much. In such cases, natural pectin has to be added with these kinds of fruit jams.

The same would be needed when preparing low-sugar content fruit jams that result in less acidic, low calorie jams. The natural sweet juices concentrate of the fruits are added in place of the sugar with some starch to produce the needed thickness of the fruit jam.

While jams preserve the fruits and their natural flavors, a great deal of the natural vitamins and minerals are lost in the process of heating. The only health-valuable ingredient left in fruit jams is the pectin fibers that are known to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood.

This cholesterol reducing substance though is somehow neutralized in health value by the rich sugar content of fruit jams that could very well increase blood sugar levels when consumed frequently in great amounts. However, the simple sugar content and other energizing ingredients for jam could quickly provide the needed invigoration of the body especially when engaging in rigorous activities such as hard work and energetic sports.

When you see dessert, cakes or pastries in the Philippines that is violet in colored, then in all probability it would be made from the Filipino purple yam locally known as “ube”. While belonging to the same family as the American purple yams, the Filipino ube is actually much darker in its violet colored skin and perhaps richer in flavor, too.

The most popular Filipino dessert made from this rich Filipino tuber is a jam called “halayang ube.” This famous violet-colored dessert in the Philippines is prepared by boiling the ube tubers until they are soft and then mixing the peeled and mashed ube with white sugar, evaporated milk, condensed milk and butter.

This luscious mixture is stirred over low fire until it thickens and placed in containers of different shapes and designs to harden. They are later served on dessert plates in creative shapes and presentations or otherwise stored in bottles as yam jams.

As a violet colored food like grapes, sugar beets and purple sweet potato, the ube would contain the substance responsible for its purple skin color called anthocyanin. This is an antioxidant that is known to fortify your body’s immune system and prevent cell deterioration.

This makes the Filipino ube, not just a sought-after dessert, but also a health enhancing food. The vitamins, minerals and fibers contained in this substantially rich tuber provide the body’s need for protecting its cell membranes that keeps undue cancer development especially in the areas of the mouth, throat and the lungs.

For a healthier preparation, it would be better to simply boil the ube which is more of the process that activates its antioxidant substances. The process of steaming it for less than ten minutes is even better in that this gentler procedure keeps the vitality of the antioxidant ingredients while also preserving the pure and natural tuber flavor.

For the real vegetarians, it would not be even necessary to garnish it with nutmeg or cinnamon as others do to enhance its taste. According to research, vegetarians are much less prone to cancer than carnivorous people especially when they regularly take in foods that have high antioxidant contents like the purple colored foods including the ube.

Purple yams like sweet potatoes have also been discovered to enhance the detoxifying functions of the kidneys, spleen and the pancreas. Their rich mineral contents have been proven to catalyze the body’s metabolism and so empower the kidneys for a more efficient disposal of toxins from your system.

With the powerful combination of delicious flavor and health benefits, anyone would find himself in a real total treat when munching the Filipino purple yam called ube.

It used to be just a summer delight sold as a refreshing sweetened snack on the side streets of the Philippine countryside. Now, you can have it all year round available in mall fast food courts and even in classy Filipino restaurants.

It is known as the “king of Filipino desserts”, not just because of its lusciously fascinating icy sweetness, but also because it reflects the exquisite blend of the variety of Filipino cultures and personalities. It’s called the “halo-halo” rightly translated as “mix-mix” because the Filipino people are indeed a beautiful and succulent mixture of flavors and colors.

Halo-halo is best prepared by slightly overcooking the fruits and beans ingredients separately in water with enough sugar to deliciously sweeten. Overcooked starchy ingredients make the halo-halo really creamy instead of watery when thoroughly mixed with the milk and the ice. For better creaminess, it would be best to use condensed milk instead of evaporated milk.

The pre-cooked and adequately sweetened ingredients include the cooking banana (saba), jackfruit (nangka), sweet potato (camoteng baging), purple yam (ube), coconut sport (macapuno), coconut gel (nata de coco),  palm fruit (kaong), white beans, small red beans and colored tapioca and gelatin to enhance the desserts aesthetic quality.

Freshly scraped fruits like melon and the young coconut (buko) could better be added for a taste of fresh fruit flavor. This mixture of sweetened overcooked ingredients accented by thick threads of fresh fruits and condensed milk when topped by shaved ice, caramel custard (leche flan) and a scoop of ice cream makes the halo-halo truly the king of Filipino desserts.