Ube Purple Yam Ice Cream

Ube is a purple yam. It is pronounced ‘oooh-beh’. It’s a tuber that grows above ground, abundant in the Philippines, Indonesia and in other Southeast Asian countries. 

You’ll get hooked by the sweet, almost almond, nearly havelnut flavor and get mesmerized by its soft purple color. When you buy ube in the store, you can easily walk past them, because they look like an ordinary large sweet yams. They even have the same rough, thick, dark outer skin, but inside the purple yam’s flesh has a soft pink tinge. 

You’ll need a food processor and an ice cream maker. Makes 1 quart. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups or 8 oz Frozen boiled ube, from an Asian store
Or 1/2 lb (2-3) purple yams, peeled, boiled and mashed
1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch 
3/4 cup coconut milk, preferably canned from Asian store or supermarket Asian isle
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar 
1/3 cup brown sugar 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions:

Thaw frozen boiled ube,that is already mashed, almost to room temperature (still cool to touch). Drain in a colander to remove any excess liquids. Refrigerate until ready to use. 
Or
If you are using whole purple yams and have already peeled, boiled and mashed them, let them cool then refrigerate them.

In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch. Whisk until the cornstarch is blended and there are no more lumps. Set aside. 

In a medium size saucepan combine the remaining milk, heavy cream, coconut milk, sugars and salt. Mix well. Over med/high heat bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat to simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.

Take the milk mixture off the stove and slowly whisk it in the cornstarch mixture, return it to the saucepan and cook it over med/high heat until it thickens, about a minute. Stir continuously so the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan. 

Remove the saucepan from heat. Let mixture cool by setting the pan the a bowl filled with ice water. Cool for 20 minutes and whisk every now and then. Transfer mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. 

Next combine 1 1/2 cups of the chilled ice cream with the mashed ube. Use a food processor and pulse for about 5 minutes until the ube incorporates into the milk mixture. Pour the entire cream base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When done transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 4 hours or until firm.