Introduction
Ube is one of the Philippines' iconic flavors. Known for its vibrant purple color, the sweet yam has recently trended worldwide. Growing up consuming ube in the forms of halaya (ube jam), ice cream, and various forms of Filipino desserts, it's fascinating to see numerous variations of the ingredient. This recipe will be another variation: ube pancakes with an ube glaze that stays true to the pinoy flavor while being a comforting breakfast for your weekend mornings.
Key Ingredients and Techniques
Ube Halaya
A jam typically made from mashed purple yam, milk, butter, and sugar will be the main flavoring for the pancakes. Adding too much can affect the texture while adding too little results in lacking ube flavor.
Ube Extract
Though not providing much flavor, ube extract allows both the pancakes and glaze to have a vibrant purple color that many are attracted to.
Using a Ladle
Using a ladle to pour your pancake batter allows for a consistent shape and size among your pancakes.
When to Flip
The main indicator for when you can flip your pancakes is when a few bubbles appear all around the placed batter. This is due to the reaction between lactic acid from milk and bicarbonate from baking powder with heat to form carbon dioxide (Curious 2017). The result: fluffy pancakes!
Recipe: Ube Pancakes with Ube Glaze
A Filipino spin on the standard American pancakes.
Ingredients
Serves 2 people
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tbsp, 2 tsp white sugar
- 1/2 cup
- 1/4 tsp, 1/8 tsp ube extract
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 large egg
Preparation
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a mediumm bowl.
- In a large bowl, combine butter, 1 tbsp sugar, ube halaya, 1/4 tsp ube extract, milk, and egg.
- Whisk together dry ingredients into wet until combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.
- Grease a nonstick pan/skillet on medium heat and pour batter with ladle when hot
- Flip each pancake when bubbles arise throuhout the batter-- about 1 min. Pancakes are done when they visibly rise-- about 10-15 seconds.
- For the uble glaze, whisk together whipping cream, 2 tsp white sugar, and 1/8 tsp ube extract until thickened. Pour on top of your stack of pancakes and serve!