The beautiful, bright purple Latte is the ideal colorful summer drink to add to your repertoire of home-brewed coffees. It’s made with Ube extract and coconut milk, both wonderfully refreshing. After that, it’s topped off with a powerful frothy espresso shot. So, How To Make an Ube Latte?
I will share the recipe later in this article. First, let’s go through what is Ube?
What is Ube?
Ube is a purple yam, also known as ube, that is a starchy tuber (Dioscorea alata) quite closely related to white-fleshed yams but distinct from candied “yams” found on Thanksgiving tables. Ube has a long history in Southeast Asia, although it is mainly used in Filipino cuisine. It’s also great in bread dough, and it can be used to flavor everything you could imagine, including cakes, bread, cupcakes, frosting, ice cream, and more.
I know it’s a unique taste, but I’m getting that fruity pebbles vibe off of it. It’s sweet, colorful, delicious, and makes for some of my favorite desserts!
Health benefits of Ube
Ube is a low-carb, high-fiber vegetable that is also a good source of B vitamins, potassium, vitamin C, and phytonutrients. Ube is a good source of anthocyanins and vitamin C, which are potent antioxidants. They have been shown to prevent cell damage and cancer. Ube/purple yams contain flavonoids that might help reduce blood sugar levels in individuals with type II diabetes. Purple yams also have a low glycemic index, which can prevent blood sugar spikes.
High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Blood-pressure-lowering effects have been attributed to purple yams. According to researchers, this is due to the high antioxidant content. Antioxidant-rich purple yam extracts have been found to have a significant blood-pressure-lowering effect in animal studies. However, further research is required in humans.
Asthma is an inflammatory condition of the respiratory passages that causes recurring episodes of wheezing. Ube, which is high in antioxidants such as vitamins A and C, might help to lower asthma risk and symptoms.
Purple yams might aid in the maintenance of your gut. They’re high in complex carbs and resistant starch, a sort of carb that is difficult to break down. Resistant starch in yams promotes the growth of Bifidobacteria, which are helpful bacteria that contribute to maintaining your gut health. Ube may be transformed into various shapes, making them one of the world’s most versatile vegetables.
How To Make Ube Latte
The bottom tube milk layer is a dumping and stirring operation. I prefer to use a whisk because the Ube halaya (ube jam) may be challenging to combine with other ingredients, but a blender or even a jar and lid might also work. You can use any milk or sweetener; I’ve used soy milk and sugar because I enjoy the flavor, and sweetened condensed milk doesn’t clump up or sink like sugar or honey.
For the espresso, any dark roast coffee beans will suffice. Anyhow, this Ube latte is rather sweet and creamy, so if you’re not searching for anything milkier or more coffee-like, I’d suggest reducing the amount of use milk and increasing the amount of espresso.
If you don’t want to be fussy or don’t mind hazy, gray drinks, you may combine milk and espresso. That isn’t me, though, and I’m a sucker for layered beverages no matter what they’re made of. Here are some pointers to guarantee that your layers are really clean:
Make sure the espresso is hotter than the ube milk. I refrigerate the ube milk before brewing the espresso. I pour the ube milk into the glass first, then add the espresso on top (there’s enough ice that it stays cold). The mean temperature of the tube milk and the presence of ube halaya and condensed milk give it more density than espresso, causing the espresso to float on top.
Place the spoon with the bowl upside down, with the tip touching the interior edge of the cup, above where you’d add ube milk. Pour espresso into a cupped hand and slowly pour it over the spoon until it reaches your desired level. Use a spoon to assist you to avoid pouring too quickly and disturbing the bottom layer.
Here is the step by step guideline of how to make use of:
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon instant espresso
- 4 teaspoon sugar
- 4 teaspoon hot water
- 5 drops ube extract
- 1 oz coconut milk, unsweetened
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- Combine 15 ounces (1 can) of evaporated milk, 2 teaspoons instant espresso, and 2 teaspoons granulated sugar in a cup or a deep bowl. Whisk the coffee for 2-3 minutes on medium speed until it doubles in volume and becomes frothy. Set aside.
- To prepare the simple syrup, add the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar to a saucepan with 2 teaspoons of hot water. The water should be warm enough so that the sugar completely dissolves.
- Combine the powder, coconut milk, and simple syrup in a cup. Stir it thoroughly with a spoon.
- Fill the cup halfway with ice. Pour the milk first on the ice, then pour the foamy espresso on top. Stir it thoroughly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ube also known as yam or a sweet potato?
A tube is a yam. Sweet potatoes and yams are sometimes confused, but I consider them in the context of savory potatoes like brown russet potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes. These are starchier (and there’s no starchy white residue on your knife when you cut them).
Is there a difference between ube and taro?
No! Ube is not as starchy or sweet as taro. The texture of ube is more like that of an orange yam, and it’s creamier than the texture of ube. Taro has white veins while ube is purple throughout, with a different appearance.
What flavor do ube have?
Fresh tubes, to me, have a mild yam flavor. It isn’t as sweet as the typical orange yam available at American supermarkets, nor is it smothered in toasted marshmallows at Thanksgiving. The taste of ube extract is less nuanced.
It’s more coconutty than pure yam, and I assumed you could substitute coconut for use since I’m used to the flavor of ube extract.
What flavor complements be the best?
Coconut, since ube extract makers combine ube and coconut flavors in ube extract.
Are you going to be shocked if I say coffee? I had an ube horchata topped with espresso at FrankieLucy in Los Angeles earlier this year, and it was so good that it got me interested in the ube/coffee combination.
Adding ice cream to anything doesn’t seem to make it worse, so I might just slide in an ube shake recipe by accident.