Ube Maja Blanca

Ube maja blanca is is a popular Filipino coconut pudding made with corn starch, coconut milk, sugar, corn kernels, cheese, ube flavoured condensed milk and violet food colour. It is a sweet and creamy treat that bases its flavour on the ultimate combination of corn and coconut milk. Aside from this, the texture of this kakanin may be described as being in between a mousse and a cake. The ube maja blanca is very smooth and thick, having the perfect consistency and sweetness to serve as your dessert or to fulfil your tummy on your midday snack.

UBE MAJA BLANCA

Maja blanca is one of my favorite breakfast when I was a child. Every morning, me and my lola go to the market to buy our daily grocery. You’ll always get the best and fresh finds in the morning when you everything just being delivered! 

After a few hours of checking our marketlist, one final stop before we go home is by walking along the side of the market where all the kakanins are being sold. One of my personal favorites is the maja blanca. It was my Tita Nancy from where I buy my daily maja blanca because she is only the one with the ube flavor in it. My standards to maja blanca got high, all thanks to Tita Nancy.

Since Tita Nancy retired from selling kakanins, I learned how to make my own maja blanca and got really amazed on how easy it is to prepare at home. Who would have thought that you can make a really nice maja blanca with just a few ingredients? Knowing how to balance the creamyness from the coconut, the sweetness from the corn and the jelly power of the cornstarch is truly an achievement.

If you wanna know how to make ube maja blanca at home, read and follow the simple steps below. Happy cooking!

HOW TO MAKE UBE MAJA BLANCA

Making maja blanca maybe is the simplest compared with other kakanins. Aside from its simple steps, it also include the simplest ingredients. The maja blanca is very quick to prepare, so instead of one layer, why not make it two with different flavors, right?

To start with the maja blanca, divide your ingredients for the two layers we are making. Each layer is made with the most crucial ingredients – the coconut milk, the cornstarch and the corn kernels; the rest are negotiable.

Keep in mind that the maja blanca mixture that we are going to make becomes firm quickly, so the very first step we need to prepare is the container. Traditionally, maja blanca is prepared in a container lined with banana leaves from additional flavor and aroma. To make the maja blanca easier to remove from the pan later, greasing the banana leaves with a little oil or butter would be a big help.

The two layers of the maja blanca are prepared similarly. The first step is to combine the ingredients without heat first, and then turn on the heat when everything is ready. For this recipe, our first layer would be the plain coconut one with the second layer being the ube flavored one. You can interchange the layers if you like, or maybe add an additional layer.

Combine the coconut milk, cornstarch and sweetener (I used sugar and condensed milk in this recipe). For the corn flavors, I added a lot of corn kernels on both of the layers. If you want a more corn flavor, you can also add creamed corn (or mashed/pureed corn) alongside the corn kernels.

Since one of the layers is ube, you can simply use ube condensed milk for a more focused ube flavor. You can hype up this flavor more by adding a few drops of ube flavoring. Simply mix 3 tablespoons of ube flavoring to a can of plain condensed milk or add it direclty to the unheated mixture. 

After making the first layer, transfer it immediately to the lined container. By the time you are done preparing the second layer, the first layer is already firm enough for you to pour the second layer. No steaming is needed, as both of the layer become firm, then the maja blanca is ready.

The maja blanca is usually topped with grated cheese and is chilled a few hours before consuming. I really love my ube maja blanca together with my afternoon tea and coffee. Yum!

Paano Magluto ng Ube Maja Blanca

Mga Sangkap:

• 2 tasang cornstarch
• 800mL gata
• ¾ tasang asukal
• 1 tasang corn kernels
• ¾ tasang tubig
• 1 latang ube flavored condensed milk
• violet food coloring (optional)
• grated cheese (pang toppings)

Paano Lutuin:

1. Maghanda ng malaking square pan. Lagyan ito ng dahon ng saging na pinahiran ng mantika o butter. Isantabi.
2. Para sa unang layer ng maja blanca, ibuhos ang 400mL ng gata sa kawali. Ilagay ang 1 tasang cornstarch, ¾ tasang asukal at 1 tasang tubig. Haluin ito ng mabuti at siguraduhing walang lumps. Sunod na ilagay ang corn kernels at haluin. Buksan ang apoy gamit ang mahinang katamtamang apoy. Haluin ang mixture ng tuloy tuloy hanggang maging malapot at malagkit. Ilipat agad agad ang mixture sa hinandang square pan at pantayin ang ibabaw nito gamit ang spatula. Medyo i-tap ng konti ang pan sa lamesa para maalis ang air bubbles.
3. Para sa pangalawnag layer, ibuhos ang 400mL ng gata sa isang bowl. Sunod na ibuhos ang buong lata ng ube condensada. Pwede kang magdagdag ng ube flavoring para mas flavorful at mas matingkad ang kulay ng mixture. Ilagay ang ube mixture sa kawali saka ilagay ang corn kernels at ¼ tasa ng tubig. Haluin ng mabuti at siguraduhing walang lumps. Lutuin ang mixture gamit ang mahinang katamtamang apoy at haluin ng tuloy tuloy hanggang maging malapot at malagkit.
4. Matigas na ang unang layer ng maja blanca. Ibuhos sa ibabaw nito ang pangalawang layer at patagin ang ibabaw nito gamit ang spatula. Medyo i-tap ng konti ang pan sa lamesa para maalis ang air bubbles.
5. Palamigin ang maja blanca ng konti hanggang tumigas na rin ang pangalawang layer. Ilagay ito sa ref ng 2 hours bago ihain.
6. Kumuha ng isang slice ng ube maja blanca at budburan ito ng maraming grated cheese sa ibabaw. Samahan ito ng mainit na kape o tsaa. Yum!