How do you prepare ube?
Fresh, frozen or powdered: ube does not ask for the same gestures depending on the form you find it in. The tuber is peeled and cooked, the frozen one arrives ready grated, the powder is whisked in. Here is what each of the three requires.
In short
- Ube comes in three forms: the fresh tuber, frozen ube already grated, and purple yam powder.
- The fresh tuber is never eaten raw: it contains a bitter alkaloid, dioscorine, which makes cooking compulsory.
- You peel it, cut it, boil, steam or bake it, and then mash it.
- The powder follows another logic: 5 g per cup, whisked into a little warm liquid.
The three forms you find in Switzerland
An ube recipe does not start in the same place depending on what is in front of you. The fresh tuber is the original starting point: a purple yam, Dioscorea alata, rough-skinned, its flesh ranging from lavender to deep violet — a few varieties are even creamy-white or plain white.
The other two forms are that same tuber, prepared in advance. The frozen one arrives peeled and grated: the thankless part is done. The powder is finely milled purple yam, whisked into a warm liquid.
| Criterion | Fresh | Frozen, grated | Powder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Availability in Switzerland | Asian grocers, as deliveries allow | Asian grocers, freezer aisle | Online, all year round |
| Preparation | Peel, cut, cook, mash | Thaw, drain, cook | Whisk into a warm liquid |
| Time | The longest | In between | A few seconds |
| Storage | Dry and airy, not in the fridge | In the freezer | Sealed bag, dry and away from light |
| Typical use | Halaya, desserts, purées | Halaya, cakes, ice cream | Lattes, baking, smoothies |
Preparing fresh ube: peel, cut, cook, mash
It all begins with the skin, rough and difficult to peel, but softening on its own as it cooks: a sturdy peeler deals with even the knottiest tubers. Peel, rinse, cut into even pieces — the more equal they are, the more even the cooking.
One point allows no exception: the tuber is never eaten raw. The tubers of Dioscorea alata contain a bitter, toxic alkaloid, dioscorine, which makes cooking compulsory before they are eaten; more broadly, various substances naturally present in yams make raw consumption unfit.
Yams are eaten cooked: boiled, steamed, baked, braised or fried. For a dessert, water and steam are the simplest routes — the pieces in simmering water, or in a steamer basket, until the point of a knife goes through the flesh without resistance. Drain, then mash: that purple purée is the base for everything that follows.
Frozen ube, grated
This is the middle form, and the quietest: ube reaches the freezer aisle already peeled and grated. The tuber work has been done upstream; all that is left is to thaw it and drain the melt water.
It is used like the fresh tuber, cooking included: you heat it as you would a tuber purée, and that is where halaya starts. What it cannot do is dissolve into hot milk: for a drink, the powder is what you need.
The powder, in two lines
The powder cuts out the rest: no peeling, no cutting, no draining. UBÉRA's is 100% finely milled purple yam, with no added sugar, no colouring and no caffeine. Keep it in its resealed bag, dry and away from light.
The rule fits on one line: 5 g per cup, that is one measuring spoon, first whisked into a tablespoon of warm liquid, then let down with the rest of the milk. Double it to 10 g for a deeper colour. The doses recipe by recipe are gathered in the usage guide.
Halaya, the Filipino ube jam
This is the preparation that made ube known. Ube halaya — also called ube jam, halayang ube or, by its original native name, nilupak na ube — is a Filipino dessert made from boiled and mashed purple yam: ube purée, coconut milk and/or condensed milk, butter.
The ube is peeled and boiled, then grated and mashed; the purée joins condensed milk — originally sweetened coconut milk — in a saucepan of melted butter, and the mixture is stirred until it thickens. Once cooled, it is served cold, after refrigeration. It then serves as the base for ube pastries and ube ice cream, and goes into halo-halo. Other preparations start from the powder.
Frequently asked questions
Where can you find ube in Switzerland?
The fresh tuber and frozen grated ube are worth looking for at Asian grocers, as deliveries allow. The powder can be ordered online all year round: it is the easiest form to get hold of, and the least demanding.
How long does ube need to cook?
There is no single duration: it depends on the size of the pieces and on the cooking method. The marker is the same as for a potato — the point of a knife should go through the flesh without resistance.
Can you freeze ube?
Yes, and that is exactly what shop-bought frozen ube is: the tuber peeled, grated, then frozen. The whole tuber does not belong in the cold: yam is stored dry, at around 14 to 16 °C, and suffers chilling damage below 12 °C.
Does the powder replace fresh ube in a recipe?
Not line for line. The powder brings the colour and the taste, but neither the volume nor the moisture of a purée: a halaya written for fresh ube does not transpose by weighing out the same weight of powder. In a drink or a cake it is the other way round: our recipes are written for it.