r/PhilippineUbe

After 5th tries of baking ube muffin.

Finally! Happy with the color and taste:)

It was my birthday the other day and of course just like I do every year I made an ube cake with the fam 💜

This year we made two versions!

These are the same cakes as my ube langka from the other day.

Which one does everyone like more?

Edit: Oh no! A commenter pointed out I had my ratios wrong (guess I forgot to halve the other ingredients when halving the amount of ube) so that mystery is solved I guess! Though I’m still curious to learn about what gives ube that flavor it’s associated with and how much of it is often added flavorings, if anyone has any knowledge on that (or other recommendations for things I can use ube in) let me know)!

I’ll preface this by saying my experience with ube hasn’t been relegated to things like that one Starbucks drink or chemical ube flavorings, there are actually some Asian bakeries and markets near me that sell not just the chemical “ube flavoring”, but ube extract and have pastries with ube sugar/fillings (though I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s paired with ube extract to enhance flavor/coloring) but all that to say I definitely associate “ube” with that unique, vanilla-y aroma and flavor (and really enjoy it!)

I wanted to try making some ube halaya from fresh ube, so I ordered some from a farm in Florida via Etsy as it’s not available where I am in the Mid-Atlantic region (ube pictured on second slide). I can link the recipe I used, but essentially it said to bring to boil and cook around 30 minutes. I found that they softened up a bit more before that (a little under 15 minutes) so I took the pieces out and noticed that they didn’t have that flavor I’m used to, but more so just tasted like a starch. No surprise there really. I asked the seller and they said vanilla is one of the flavors that comes from caramelization, and that they usually boil their yams for savory dishes, but when cooking ube halaya, the ube would be boiled, mashed, returned to the pot and cooked over low heat/stirred and that a lot of people will add ube extract/flavoring instead to enhance those flavors (the seller also mentioned roasting it in an oven may be a good way to get those flavors, and is going to try it and get back to me).

I ended up trying to work with what I had (I wasn’t able to get it mashed super well as they cooled down a bit and were less soft, which are the chunks you see), but I noticed generally that what came out for me is a very pale purple, not these very strong purples that I see in other ube halaya recipes (even ones that don’t include extract/flavoring). Maybe that could be because the ube itself? I did notice mine was more white and purple as opposed to a deep purple.

Overall I have two questions:

1. Since ube is obviously a starch and starches will taste starchy, where does that “ube flavor” come from, and why?
2. I do have some more that I may make a second batch with, as I’m not sure if I’m too happy about how this batch turned out (it still needs to cook down a bit more according to the recipe, but it mostly tastes like sweetened condensed milk right now). I’ll cook
3. It down to see how it tastes, but if I do make a second batch with some of the extra ube I have, would something like roasting help bring out that flavor or just cook it low and slow on a stovetop? I don’t assume it’ll ever naturally have as strong a flavor as that flavor present extracts or chemical flavorings?

Thanks!!

Made with ube halaya, Tito Al's macapuno, and vanilla ice cream.

From a Filipino restaurant here in San Antonio, Texas. Kabayan Kusina. Extremely delicious.