Homemade Ube Halaya (Ube Jam)

5 from 1 vote

Homemade Ube Halaya (Ube Jam)

This ube halaya recipe makes deliciously smooth and creamy homemade ube jam. It's naturally colored, easy to make and tastes great!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 32

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: g

Calories: 2.3kcal

Author: Priya Maha

Ingredients

400 g ube (fresh) (or purple sweet potato)
200 g condensed milk (half of a 14 ounces can)
200 ml coconut milk
200 ml evaporated milk
¼ teaspoon salt
60 g butter
Water (to cook the ube)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Start by preparing the ube. Wash thoroughly to remove all dirt. Pat dry and chop into large pieces.
Use a sharp knife to cut off the skin. Chop the peeled ube pieces into smaller chunks (for faster cooking) and rinse them again.
Place the chopped ube in a pot and fill the pot with water (enough to cover the ube).
Cook for 20 to 25 minutes on low heat, until it becomes soft (but not too soft that it does not hold shape). The cooking time depends on the size of the ube chunks. The smaller they are, the faster they cook. To test, lift out a piece of the cooked ube onto a plate and try to cut it with a fork. If it is breaks easily, the ube is cooked (see Note 1).
Drain the ube in a colander. Let cool to room temperature.
See note 2 if using frozen grated ube.
Place the cooked ube into a food processor or blender.
Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk and coconut milk and process until the ube becomes smooth. You may need to constantly use a long spoon or stirrer to stir the ube in the blender for it to operate smoothly. Or you can use the 'pulse' function. Alternatively, use an immersion blender.
Transfer the blended ube into a saucepan.
Add butter and salt and cook it over low heat for approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
Keep stirring and constantly scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to avoid it from sticking to the pan.
As the jam starts to thicken, it will start spitting. Keep the lid on when not stirring.
Remove from heat and let the ube jam cool down completely before storing. Keep the lid of the pan on as it cools to prevent skin forming on it. Remove the lid every 30 minutes to wipe away the steam condensation on it.
The jam is best kept refrigerated and consumed within one week. You can also freeze it up to one month if you wish to keep it longer.

Notes

You can steam the ube instead of boiling it in water.
This recipe uses fresh ube. If fresh ube is not readily available, you can substitute it with frozen grated ube (cooked). If using frozen ube, thaw it and add to the saucepan. Add sugar and all the milks and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until smooth. Add the butter and salt and cook until the jam thickens.
If you are not able to find ube at all, you can also make this recipe with purple sweet potatoes.
For a brighter purple color, you can add half a teaspoon of ube extract when cooking the jam. You can also add one teaspoon of vanilla extract for a vanilla flavored ube halaya.

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