20+ BEST Ube Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What flavor pairs well with ube? ›

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.

Fresh ube. Ube is rarely imported as a fresh tuber in North America, but can sometimes be found fresh in the produce sections of Asian grocery stores.

And even though yams and sweet potatoes aren't the same thing, ube does have a similar earthy sweetness as that found in purple sweet potatoes. The sweetest and most prized variety of ube is kinampay, which is often referred to as "the queen of Philippine yams" and is known for its complex flavor.

If using a whole fresh ube, peel the ube, cut into cubes, boil until they are tender, and then mash if needed.

Generally, ube is sweeter than taro. It contains much more natural sugar, and its softer texture makes it taste sweeter in your mouth. However, both ube and taro usually have plenty of sugar added to them when used in desserts.

While they both have a similar taste and are often used in sweet dishes, they differ in texture and nutritional value. 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.

The bottom line

Purple yams are an incredibly nutritious starchy root vegetable. Their powerful antioxidants may help reduce your blood pressure and blood sugar levels. They are tasty and versatile with a vibrant color, making them an exciting ingredient that can be used in a variety of sweet and savory dishes.

Ube is Tagalog – the national language of the Philippines – for the purple yam native to Southeast Asia that has since been naturalized in South America, Africa, Australia, and the southeastern United States. It is also known as the “winged” or “water” yam in English.

In terms of calories, taro and ube are very similar, with around 140 to 180 calories per serving. Ube is higher in sugar and has lots of antioxidants. Because it has a low glycemic index, meaning the carbohydrates and sugars get metabolized by your body very slowly, it can also help regulate blood sugar.

Native to Southeast Asia, ube is a purple yam whose glimmering purple center, mild, sweet flavor, and coconut-like aroma have made it a popular ingredient in traditional Filipino sweets. Across the U.S., chefs are using ube to give color and character to everything from co*cktails to cakes.

Why do Filipinos love purple? ›

Having twelve round fruits on the dinner table as the clock strikes twelve brings good luck and prosperity in the New Year. Making something purple for media noche brings even more prosperity. The more purple, the better. The color purple — the color of a one-hundred peso bill — is the color of prosperity.

FUN UBE FACTS

Ube is more than just a delicious food; it might also be a health juggernaut! Some of the same compounds found in these yummy yams have been shown to reduce the growth of human cancer cells.

The color of certain foods can change in color depending on pH level or acidity and heat. In this particular Ube that I planted its anthocyanins are purple when it's uncooked and has a neutral pH. Anthocyanins have a purple hue in neutral pH while the color changes to blue in an increasing pH condition.

The distinct ube flavor is slightly nutty with a hint of vanilla. 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.

Meet ube (pronounced “ooh-bay”), a purple yam native to Southeast Asia that has recently gained popularity stateside thanks to its rich violet color. While its social media buzz makes ube seem like the newest food trend, it's been a staple in Filipino cooking for years.

What truly sets ube ice cream apart is its seamless pairing with other beloved Filipino flavors like macapuno and pinipig. Macapuno, also known as coconut sport, is the soft, chewy flesh of the coconut that enhances the creaminess of the ice cream, adding another layer of flavor complexity.

Ube, a tuberous root native to the Philippines, is distinguished by its vivid purple color and its unique taste profile. Often mistaken for taro, Ube is characterized by its smoother texture and a flavor profile that expertly blends sweetness with a hint of nuttiness, accompanied by subtle vanilla undertones.

Pronounced “oo-beh”, ube is often mistaken for purple sweet potato, but while the latter is dry and starchy, ube is moist with an earthy, nutty, vanilla-like flavour. Ube's distinctive heliotrope hue contributes to its broadening appeal.