It's almost Christmas! Yay! And so yesterday, I started preparing for our Noche Buena dinner, our first one here and my first time doing it all on my own! I opted to do the the dessert, a staple in my husband's hometown during the holidays (and also my favorite), ube halaya. I've never done it before. I remember having this made at my Nanay's house for the town feast and my mom-in-law making it the past few Christmases back in San Diego. I knew it'll be tough for my arm, mixing for an hour or so. But I'm up for the challenge! :)
I've always loved mommy Lizelle's ube halaya, so I asked her for the measurements of the ingredients. It's been a while since I asked her those and I can't remember how the procedure went, so my Mama guided me the whole time I was cooking it through FaceTime. Thank God for technology :)
My mom-in-law's recipe asks for a cup of sugar but I opted to go for just 3/4 of a cup. You can go ahead add more sugar if you want, if you prefer your ube a little sweeter. Here are the ingredients:
2 16oz package of frozen grated purple yam, thawed
2 cans of evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
1 cup of grated cheese
3/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp melted butter
My little bump peeking in this photo, saying Hi! :)
Procedure:
Melt the butter in a wide, deep pan over medium heat.
Once melted, pour in the condensed milk.
Then carefully pour in 2 cans of evaporated milk.
And mix them all together until well-combined.
Add in the purple yam...
Just look at these gorgeous colors :)
Then in goes the sugar.
Mix everything together until the sugar is dissolved, the ube is dispersed & everything is well-combined.
Turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, while stirring occasionally.
Once boiling, lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring regularly for 45 minutes to an hour.
After a few minutes of stirring, it will start to thicken, like this :) Continue stirring until you reach your desired consistency.
This looks just about right. If you prefer a richer consistency, continue to cook for a few more minutes.
Add in the cheese...
And mix it in until it is well-combined with the purple yam jam and completely melted.
And it's finally done! My arm didn't hurt as much for the husband subbed for me to do the mixing :)
Get your baking dish or llanera mold ready and coat them with butter.
Spoon in the ube halaya into the dish and smoothen the top using a buttered spatula or spoon.
Brush the top with melted butter.
Yummers!
My husband and I finished this mini ramekin right there and then!
Have fun making this and enjoy! Merry Christmas! :)
- C ♥
