20+ BEST Ube Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What flavors does ube pair well with? ›

Ube tastes mildly sweet (but sweeter than taro and a sweet potato), with a nutty flavor, and is a bit like a vanilla baked good. That's why it's commonly paired with coconut and white chocolate in desserts.

Taro is earthy and starchy, and is a great choice for savory dishes, while ube has a distinct and sweet flavor, making it perfect for desserts. When it comes to nutrition, both taro and ube are packed with nutrients and have numerous health benefits, but they differ in their calorie and carbohydrate content.

Loaded with anthocyanins, beta carotene, protein, and vitamin C, purple yams possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting properties.

This vibrant root vegetable is a good source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant crucial for immune function and collagen production. Ube also boasts a significant amount of potassium, a mineral essential for maintaining healthy blood pressure and muscle function.

In Filipino culture, ube is not just a food but also a symbol of Filipino resilience and adaptability. Even during challenging times, the ube plant thrives, much like the Filipino spirit.

It has a coconut-like aroma that lends itself well to dessert items. Ube is most often boiled, mashed, and mixed with condensed milk to bring out its sweetness.

Even though ube and purple sweet potatoes share a sweet, earthy taste, ube has a distinctively nuttier, vanilla-like flavor. In addition to their differences in taste, ube is more moist than sweet potatoes, which tend to be drier in texture.

Dioscorea alata is a species of yam commonly referred to as purple yam, ube, violet yam, or water yam. This tuberous root vegetable originates from Southeast Asia and is often confused with taro root.

It can be easy to confuse Okinawan sweet potatoes and ube – a type of yam – because of their rich purple color, but make no mistake, they are two different ingredients. Here are some of the major taste, nutrition, and biological differences and similarities between these two crops.

Blood sugar control

Diabetes affects a sizable portion of the human population. Flavonoids found in purple yams help reduce blood sugar levels. Studies report that eating purple yams can help control blood sugar.

Why is ube so delicious? ›

Ube halaya lends a sweet, earthy flavor and sticky texture, while ube extract imparts a pop of nuttiness.

Is Ube Safe for Dogs? If the ube has been properly prepared (boiled or steamed), it is perfectly safe for dogs to eat. Feeding a large amount in one go will likely lead to gastrointestinal upset or discomfort, so don't go too crazy.

The purple sweet potato traces its origins to Central America and is a part of the morning glory family of plants, while ube is a true yam native to Southeast Asia and has been a part of Polynesian cuisine for thousands of years.

Ube halaya, or ube jam, is often used in desserts like halo-halo (Filipino shaved ice) or added to pies and ice cream, which you can often find at Purple Yam. Besa's husband, Romy Dorotan, who's also the restaurant's chef, adds ube powder to lumpia (spring rolls) and pandesal (traditional Filipino rolls).

For a simple way to dip into your Ube Spread stash, use it to top pancakes like TikTok user @doll_legs did. The spread is a great substitute for maple syrup on any type of pancakes, and works as a sweet waffle or French toast topper as well. Add some homemade whipped cream and sliced fruit for a really decadent meal.

An ube matcha latte is a creamy and colorful beverage that marries the lavender-purple hues of ube (purple yam) with the calming and verdant tones of matcha green tea. This combination creates a harmonious blend of earthy and slightly nutty flavors from the ube, and the floral and earthy notes of the matcha.