Ube Halaya – Recipe

Ube halaya – purple sweet potato jam – is super rich, super sweet and super luscious. It can be used in a number of Filipino desserts and fusion recipes, and is just as good spread on buttered toast

It does take a bit of patience to make, but you can make a large batch and freeze it for later.

Need some visuals? Watch my 'at-a-glance' recipe video on YouTube:

Ready? Let's go.

Ingredients:

500g boiled purple sweet potatoes, skinned
50g salted butter
300g caster sugar
1 can (397g) condensed milk
1 can (410g) evaporated milk

Method:

1. With a wooden spoon or spatula, push the sweet potatoes through a fine sieve into a large saucepan. Discard any fibres and bits of leftover skin.

2. Over a medium heat, stir in the butter until melted. Then add the rest of the ingredients.

3. Bring the mixture to a light simmer and keep stirring, until the mixture has reduced and become very thick and a little stiff (this can take anything from an hour to two hours, depending on the size of your pan and the level of heat).

4. While still hot, transfer to your chosen storage containers (jars, bowls or, if you want to serve it looking fancy, a well-oiled mould).

5. Leave to cool completely before popping in the fridge to chill. Then use in your chosen desserts or as a sweet spread.

Enjoy, and have fun.