Treat from the Philippines: Ube Jam
It must’ve been five years ago since I last tasted ube jam.
It was one of my very favorite treats growing up. I adore the bright purple color. The creamy texture. The sweet, comforting flavor. Ube jam – also called halaya – is made from the purple yam, which is cultivated in tropical countries like the Philippines. It is a common ingredient in desserts and it is, like so many other things, my taste of home.
I always remember my Lola (Grandma) Conch, who made the best – THE BEST – halaya I have ever had. She had a wonderful labor-intensive recipe for rich and creamy halaya. I would wait impatiently for hours as she prepped and cooked, and as soon as the jam is ready, still hot from the oven, and oozing with bright yellow mantequilla (butter), I would happily lap it up, savoring each thick, sweet spoonful.
My dad, well aware of my inclinations for all things sweet, brought me a treat when he arrived in Boston last week: a jar of my beloved ube jam. I like eating the ube jam plain and straight from the jar but this time, I wanted to make something a little more special with it. Inspired by the Ube Pies from Jun’s blog (Jun Belen has a beautiful blog filled with heart-warming stories and recipes for Filipino food. I urge you to check it out!) I decided to make mini ube cups with a simple graham cracker base.
a basic graham cracker crust from Martha Stewart calls for only crushed graham crackers, butter, sugar, and a teeny pinch of salt
I baked the crusts in little ramekins for a few minutes until it turned golden brown, then put a generous dollop of ube jam on top. Traditionally, ube jam is served with macapuno – a type of thick, shredded coconut meat cooked to a sweet, syrupy consistency…
but since I didn't have macapuno, I topped my ube pies with sweetened coconut flakes
the graham cracker base was a little crumbly, mixing deliciously with the dense deep-lavender jam
It tasted like an Americanized version of one of my favorite Filipino dessert, bridging my two homes with each bite.
It was perfect. Like no time has passed, I licked each spoonful clean.
You can make ube jam by mixing pureed purple yam (if you can find it, or just use purple sweet potatoes which are more common), some butter, condensed milk, and coconut milk. My Lola Conch has sadly passed away many years ago so I don’t have our family recipe, but you can find recipes online, like in Jun’s blog.
Five years may have gone by but my love for this sweet purple dessert hasn’t faded. My next project is to one day make ube jam myself!
Do you also have a particular dessert that you haven’t had in years?
Hi! I’m Bianca Garcia. I love food, running, yoga, sangria, and my job. I'm an advertising professional, social media enthusiast, blogger, freelance writer, and obsessive list-maker. I think about dessert constantly. 
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It sounds so interesting, and I love how you turned it into an adorable, mini dessert.
Bianca Garcia replied September 15th, 2011 at 9:42 am
Thank you birthday girl! You and I and our love for mini desserts :)
What a lovely post, Bianca. Cheers to Lola Conch and her ube halaya!
Love how you used graham cracker crust and coconut flakes. Macapuno is so difficult to make from scratch and I end up settling for grated fresh young coconut, which isn’t at all bad. But there’s something in ube with macapuno that makes them a perfect combination. Maybe the overload of sugar or the memories of home.
By the way, thank you so much for the shoutout to my blog! Hope all is well with you.
Bianca Garcia replied September 15th, 2011 at 9:42 am
Salamat Jun!
How cool! I’ve never heard of ube jam before but now I really want to try it. The color is so beautiful!
Bianca Garcia replied September 15th, 2011 at 9:43 am
Thanks Nicole. Yes, the violet color is gorgeous!
I love learning more about your culture from your blog. I’ve never her of ube jam but it looks AWESOME!
I love all your Philippines-inspired dishes. This is so unique!
What a beautiful color!
This looks so cool. I love when you share Filipino specialties.
Love the color of that dessert! Such a great sounding flavor. I actually just made cookies from my family that I had not had in forever, so much fun!
wow, so intriguing, it sounds wonderful! and great color, too :)
I love the color of that jam! Growing up, I loved chocolate cream pies from this bakery up the street. It’s still open, but I haven’t been there in years!
These are so colorful and tempting. I would love to try this.
hi there,
This one seems to be a wonderful post. thanks !
OHHHH! Magnificent! I have such a deep love for Asian-style desserts. Anything black sesame, red bean, matcha, taro flavoured goes straight to my soul, so I know I’d love this :)
OMG! I love ube!! I’ve been searching for it in LA, but only found the powdered version. This looks so yummy ;)
Bianca Garcia replied September 16th, 2011 at 9:37 am
Hi Jon, I didn’t even know there was a powdered version up until recently!
Yum! Now I’m craving for ube and maja blanca! – time to hit the Filo shops here. Will try your recipe with digestive biccies =)
Hope all’s well! =)
Bianca Garcia replied September 16th, 2011 at 9:43 am
Hi Leng, thank you so much for dropping by my blog and the comment! Hope all is well with you too :)
What I wouldn’t give to be able to taste this! It looks SO GOOD. I wonder if I can find some purple yams in Chinatown to try to recreate this jam…
I do not think I have ever seen purple yam at my grocer. I may have to ask around at the farmers market tomorrow morning.
Bianca Garcia replied September 17th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Let me know if you do find it and if you end up making something with it!
This is so pretty and so unique!
Bianca Garcia replied September 17th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
Thank you! The purple color really is unique. I wish I had more!
I’ve probably said this before, but I love how you always share such surprising recipes. What a cool dessert!
Aww. What a sweet post! I’m always intrigued by the foods of different cultures. I’ve never heard of this Ube Jam before but I would probably like it (I like anything sweet. I don’t discriminate.)
I really miss my situ’s (Lebanese grandmother’s) Turkish Delight. They were the best I’ve ever eaten and I’ve never had anything as good since.