Ube Milk Tea

Ube milk tea is a Filipino cool drink, made by adding ube boba made by tapioca starch, sugar, ube flavour and water to your any favourite cool drink. Make these sweet chewy balls at home and make, ube milk tea. that is a creamy, refreshing and indulgent drink, to make a fun colourful addition to your summer refresher.

Ube History in the Philippines

Ube is a gem of a root crop grown in the Philippines that slowly creeping up into the culinary world. This purple yam has been invading the dessert world for a while and has been associated in the Philippines long before the instances of ube flavoring can be found in other countries bakery windows or dessert shops. This purple yam or “ube” pronounced as ‘oo-bae’ in a common Philippine crop that’s been used at traditional desserts, jams, dessert fillings, pies, cakes, ice creams and sometimes even savory soups and main dishes. The ‘Ube’ flavor made waves into mainstream U.S. culture in the last years as these incorporate root crops into the treats as well as its pop of color that’s creates a lot of photographic opportunities.

Ube has earthy, mildly sweet taste akin to a taro but with a hind of vanilla and a slightly nutty taste. Some even compare them to a sweet potato with a mild white chocolate taste. Ube is usually included in the dessert as a jam made of mashed purple yam and condensed milk, made into halaya or bottled as jam, then added to custards, cheesecakes and other desserts. Most ube desserts use ube flavoring as a replacement as it has a stronger flavor and color when added.

Like many countries Philippines pride themselves of being innovative. And the culinary world we’ve always tried to add a hint of Filipino touch to our own desserts or fusion between baked goods like the ube cronut, donuts, pancakes and other cuisines. Ube is a versatile ingredient that can be paired to almost any dish, and even adds a hint of delicate purple color. Or if your using an ube flavoring, it can give a dish a striking purple hue that can’t help but attract attention.

Bubble tea in the Philippines

How did the milk tea craze suddenly arrive in the Philippines? The milk tea industry came in with witty names and sweet concoctions that created a buzz with in world. Bubble tea is commonly seen as originating from Taiwan, the tea popularized from China, with Taiwan creating their own blend of mix with milk and called ‘milk tea’. In 1983 the ‘boba’ or tapioca balls were added in the Taiwan market thus the name ‘bubble tea because of it’s similar look to bubbles inside the cup. Bubble tea reached the Philippines in 2010, from the suddenly re-popularity in Taiwan, with Serenitea being the first milk tea shop to open, with a range of new bubble tea shops that followed suit after. Since then till now bubble tea has been a growing market since then that suited the tastes of kids, teens and adults alike.

Take a break and cool off with a sip iced milk tea and ube boba!

Ube Boba

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Course: Uncategorized

Servings

4

servings

Chewy and sweet purple balls of fun!

Ingredients

• 1 cup tapioca starch (extra for kneading)

• 1/3 cup water

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon ube flavoring

• water for boiling

Directions

• In a pan at medium heat, add 1/3 cup water and brown sugar. Mix till sugar dissolves, add ube flavoring and mix well.
• Add 1/3 cup tapioca starch and mix till it looks thick. Turn off the heat and add 2/3 cup tapioca starch and mix well.
• Knead the ube dough on a smooth surface, adding more starch as needed. Once this is less sticky, cut the dough in 4 parts, roll and slice to ¼ inch sizes, or any desired size. Roll each sliced dough on your hands to form a ball.
• Coat the sliced dough with tapioca starch to keep them from sticking together. Strain to remove excess starch.
• In a pot at medium heat, boil enough water in the pot and add the ube boba, stirring these for 3 – 5 minutes. These should be chewy.
• Strain and add into milk tea or any iced tea!

Recipe Video

Notes

• Add a tablespoon of ube powder in the mix to add more flavor.
• Use a scraper to knead if it feels too soft.

Ube Boba recipe (tagalog)

Sahog

• 1 tasa tapioca starch (sobra pang masa)
• 1/3 tasa tubig
• ½ tasa kayumangging asukal
• 1 kutsarang ube flavoring
• tubig pang kulo

Paano Lutuin

1. Sa kawali na may katamtamang unit, lagyan ng 1/3 tasa ng tubig at kayumanggging asukal. Haluin hangang matunaw ang asukal. Lagyan ng ube flavoring at haluin ng mabuti.
2. Idagdag ng 1/3 tasa ng tapioca starch, haluin hangang kumapal ang masa. Tangalin sa init at lagyan ng 2/3 tasa ng starch at haluin ng maigi.
3. Imasa ang ube na masa sa makinis na ibabaw, lagyan ng starch kung kinakailangan. Pag di na gaanong madiki, hatiin ng 4 na parte, igulong at hatiin na may sukay ng ¼ na pulgada o ayon sa iyong gusto. Gamit ang gamay iporma ito ng pa bola.
4. Takpan ang tapioca starch ang mga hinati na masa para di ito dumikit sa isa’t isa. Salain para matangal ang sobra na starch.
5. Sa palayok na may katamtamang init, kumulo ng tubig at ilagay ang ube boba, haluin ng 3 o 5 na minuti. Dapat maging chewy ito.
6. Salain at ilagay sa milk tea o kahit anong malamig na inumin!