It’s sometimes hard to find ube halaya so when fresh ube is available, make your own. The best ube to use for is from Batangas because you can immediately see the deep purple color underneath the thin skin of the tuber. Peel it as thinly as possible for the most vibrantly hued halaya to use for your favorite ube recipes.
Ube Halaya Recipe
1/2 kilo uncooked purple yam (ube)
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Thinly peel and then cube ube. (Wear gloves if desired as it stains.) Set aside.
2 Pour water into a medium saucepot. Add then boil the cubed ube until tender. Transfer cooked ube to a large bowl, and mash. Set side.
3 In a frying pan over low heat, melt butter then add sugar, and salt, stirring until the sugar has begun to dissolve, stirring regularly until well mixed. Stir in vanilla extract.
4 Add the mashed purple yam then stir until the texture of the mixture becomes really thick (about 5 minutes over low heat).
5 Transfer the mixture to a jar, and let cool completely. Keep refrigerated.
