Love of Ube!

I'm sure most of you have heard of ube, the sweet purple yam that most say is native to the Philippines. Some people refer to it as taro but shouldn't because ube is sweeter. It also has a somewhat nutty flavour with a hint of vanilla making it a favourite ingredient for many Filipino dessert including cakes, cookies and ice cream. Just like sweet potato, it is boiled, peeled then mashed for it to be incorporated into a recipe.

I love everything ube but I have to tell you about my favourite ube dessert growing up in the Philippines which I only ever got to eat on New Year's day. It is called halaya, a type of thick jam molded into a dish then sliced and served. It was a tradition at my Lola Maria's (Dad's mom) house to have ube halaya during the town fiesta, which falls annually on January 1st. This dessert is special not only because it is delicious, but also because lots of time and effort goes into making it. By the time, I started enjoying it, my Lola has already retired from halaya making. The task was handed down to my Auntie Solly who always prepared the richest halaya I've ever eaten. She made it with boiled mashed ube, coconut milk, evaporated milk and sugar. She stirred the mixture in a big skillet over a slow open firepit until the desired thickness is achieved (this is the part when I mention that one needs strength and stamina to cook halaya this way because it took the whole day to achieve the thickness). This is the reason why it was only made once a year and for a good celebration. Imagine my annual anticipation for this delightful dessert!

When my immediate family moved to Canada in 1980, we were forever deprived of Auntie Solly's halaya. Mom and I tried to make it using frozen mashed ube and cooking it over a stove. The result was not even close. Lola and auntie have also now passed on and no one else in the family has continued the tradition of cooking it for New Year's day.

I so miss that halaya but I'm glad that I can buy other ube desserts from Filipino stores here in Canada. Changes in global trade also now allows me to buy fresh ube, frozen mashed or jammed in a bottle to make my ube own dessert. These are the ones I use to include in my ube chiffon cakes and cheesecakes.