Ube Halaya

Ube halaya is a beloved Filipino jam made from ube, a vibrant purple yam (different from taro, despite the resemblance). The yam is boiled, mashed, then slowly cooked with sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and butter until it reaches a thick, spreadable consistency. The flavour is earthy and gently sweet, somewhere between vanilla, coconut and pistachio, and the colour is naturally a striking violet. Look for fresh ube at Filipino grocers, or use frozen grated ube to save hours. Ube halaya is used as a spread, a cake filling, an ice cream flavour and the basis for ube pandesal.