20+ BEST Ube Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best ube variety? ›

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.

Ube (Dioscorea alata) is a purple yam that is native to Southeast Asia and predominantly used in Filipino cuisine. This starchy tuber has a distinct purple-colored flesh that varies in shade and features a nutty, vanilla flavor.

Look in the freezer cases of Asian grocery stores for packages of frozen ube; it's usually mashed or grated, and already cooked so it can be used straight out of the package.

Taro Nutrition. 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 ...

The flavonoids in purple yams have been shown to help lower blood sugar in those with type 2 diabetes. Obesity and inflammation caused by oxidative stress increase your risk of insulin resistance, poor blood sugar control, and type 2 diabetes ( 18 ).

Combine ube flavoring with other tropical flavors like mango or coconut for unique dessert experiences. Adjust the amount of ube flavoring to create milder or bolder ube-infused dishes, catering to your personal preference.

Due to dwindling local production and the need to meet export demands, ube flavoring and color has become common in the Asian country. Scarcity in supply of the crop has also resulted in high prices.

Even with their differences, substituting purple sweet potatoes for ube works great in a pinch. Only a true connoisseur will taste the subtle difference.

Dioscorea alata – also called purple yam, ube (/ˈuːbɛ, -beɪ/), or greater yam, among many other names – is a species of yam (a tuber).

What are the health benefits of ube? ›

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.

“I would say as soon as you get out of Trader Joe's, go to your closest Seafood City, if you're lucky, or 99 Ranch,” Balingit says. “Those are the places where you'll find not just ube, but buko pandan, and jackfruit, and the extracts and the frozen products.

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.

Both the vines and the ube can grow indefinitely if you let it. Because I live in San Francisco East Bay Area, I do have to be mindful of the weather patterns. I planted in April and the vines were really doing really well during the summer when it was quite dry.

Beni imo, otherwise known as purple sweet potato, is the only one of the three that is actually a sweet potato. It is often confused for ube because of its flesh is a similar color. However, beni imo are light-skinned on the outside while ube are dark-skinned.

The skin of Okinawan sweet potato is thin, like an Irish potato, and can be eaten. Ube has a thick, bark-like skin, which allows the crop to store for longer, but is unpleasant to eat. Okinawan sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family and completely unrelated to yams, such as ube.

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.

The ube varieties Kimabajo and Sampero have light purple flesh while Rapang-rapang and Shiket have dark purple flesh. Daking has white flesh and purple peel.