Ube Espasol combines the classic chewy texture of espasol with the vibrant color and taste of ube. These easy-to-make treats are rolled in toasted rice flour, with a subtle ube and coconut flavor in every bite!
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Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Glutinous rice flour: This is sticky rice or sweet rice flour that becomes sticky and chewy when cooked.
- Tapioca flour: I'm adding a little bit to achieve a chewier, more elastic texture. If you don't have it, you can replace it with the same amount of glutinous rice flour instead.
- Ube: This is purple yam that's brightly colored and has a sweet, earthy taste. I've used purple sweet potatoes as a substitute—they are so similar you might not notice the difference. You can also use frozen ube or Ube Halaya, but reduce the sugar by ¼ cup.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Combine wet ingredients
In a bowl, combine 1 can of coconut milk, 1 cup mashed ube or purple sweet potatoes, 1 cup brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon ube extract (if using), and a pinch of salt. Mix until it is as smooth as possible.
Step 2: Toast glutinous rice flour
In a skillet or wok, toast 2¼ cups of sticky rice flour on medium heat. Keep stirring for about 20 minutes until the flour turns a light tan color and smells nutty.
If it starts to smoke, turn down the heat. If you want to speed up the process, you can raise the heat a bit, but make sure to stir even more often to prevent burning. Then, set aside ½ cup of the toasted flour for coating.
Step 3: Add tapioca flour
Lower the heat to low and mix in ¼ cup of tapioca flour with the toasted flour. Keep stirring to blend them well. After about 2 minutes, you can go ahead and turn off the heat.
Step 4: Prepare parchment paper
Place a 12x12 inch sheet of parchment paper or banana leaf on your work surface. Using a fine-mesh strainer, sprinkle about a third of the reserved toasted flour evenly across it.
Be sure to leave a margin around the edges without flour, adjusting the width based on how thick you want your Espasol to be spread.
Step 5: Combine wet and dry ingredients
Pour the wet ingredients into the pan with the rest of the flour. Turn the heat to medium and mix everything together until smooth.
Step 6: Mix until thick
Keep spreading and folding the mixture in the pan for about 10 minutes. As it cooks, it will turn into a sticky dough, get chewier, and darken slightly in color. It’s ready once it firms up and becomes tougher to stir.
Step 7: Transfer dough
Immediately transfer the dough onto your prepared parchment paper. While it's still warm and easier to handle, use a spatula to evenly spread it out, aiming for a thickness of about ½ inch, or your desired thickness.
Step 8: Add the coating
Generously dust the top with toasted flour. Then, cut the dough into pieces using a knife or dough scraper. Roll each piece in more toasted flour for an extra layer of coating, shaking off any excess.
Enjoy your freshly made Ube Espasol warm or let it cool! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze it and just thaw at room temperature when you're ready to eat, until it becomes soft again.
Recipe FAQs
Ube Espasol is a traditional Filipino rice cake, or kakanin, that puts a colorful twist on the classic Espasol. It features a vibrant purple hue and is made from glutinous rice flour and coconut milk, with ube (purple yam) flavor.
Ube Espasol has a sweet and nutty flavor, with the earthy and slightly vanilla-like taste of ube. It has a soft and slightly chewy texture.
Regular rice flour won't work for this recipe. You need glutinous rice flour to get the chewy, sticky texture that makes Espasol unique.
More Filipino food with ube
- Ube Cheese Pandesal: Soft and fluffy Filipino bread rolls filled with Ube Halaya and cheese.
- Ube Crinkles: Ube-flavored cookies rolled in powdered sugar.
- Ube Ice Cream: Sorbetes-style ice cream with coconut milk and ube.
- Ube Mamon: Light and airy sponge cakes flavored with ube.
- Ube Puto: Soft and fluffy steamed cakes with ube, often topped with cheese.
- Ube Cheesecake: Creamy ube-flavored cheesecake with a graham cookie crust.
- Ube Turon: Saba bananas with Ube Halaya wrapped in lumpia wrappers and fried until crispy.
- Ube Hopia: Flaky pastry rounds with ube filling.
- Ube Suman sa Latik: Steamed rice cakes with ube, topped with latik or caramelized coconut curds.
- Ube Kalamay: Purple rice cake with a thick and sticky consistency, topped with latik.
- Ube Pastillas: Sweet, milky candies made with powdered milk and ube.
- Ube Palitaw: Chewy rice patties flavored with ube, then coated in grated coconut and topped with sugar and sesame seeds/peanuts.
Other dessert recipes you may like
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📖 Recipe
Ube Espasol
Equipment
- Non-stick sauté pan or a pan with high sides
- Spatula
- Parchment paper or banana leaves (12x12 inch)
- Fine-mesh strainer (optional)
- Knife or pastry cutter (also known as a bench scraper)
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups glutinous rice flour see note
- ¼ cup tapioca flour see note
- 1 (13.5-oz) can coconut milk (about 1⅔ cups)
- 1 cup boiled and mashed ube see note
- 1 cup brown or granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ube extract or flavoring optional
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine coconut milk, mashed ube, brown sugar, ube extract (if using), and a pinch of salt. Stir until you have a smooth mixture.
- In a skillet or wok, toast 2¼ cups of glutinous rice flour on medium heat. Stir continuously for about 20 minutes, until the flour takes on a beige or light tan color and gives off a nutty, toasted aroma. If it starts to smoke, turn down the heat. If you want to speed up the process, you can raise the heat a bit, but make sure to stir even more often to prevent burning.
- Set aside ½ cup of the toasted flour for coating.
- Lower the heat to low and mix in ¼ cup of tapioca flour with the toasted flour. Keep stirring to blend them well. After about 2 minutes, you can go ahead and turn off the heat.
- Place your sheet of parchment paper or banana leaf on a flat surface. Using a fine-mesh strainer, evenly dust a third of the toasted flour across it.Be sure to leave a border around the edges without flour, adjusting the width based on how thick you want your Espasol to be spread.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the pan with the remaining flour. Turn the heat to medium and mix everything together until smooth.
- Keep spreading and folding the mixture in the pan for about 10 minutes. As it cooks, it will turn into a sticky dough, get chewier, and darken slightly in color. It’s ready once it firms up and becomes tougher to stir.
- Immediately transfer the dough onto your prepared parchment paper. While it's still warm and easier to handle, use a spatula to evenly spread it out, aiming for a thickness of about ½ inch, or depending on your preference.
- Generously dust the top with toasted flour. Then, cut the dough into pieces using a knife or dough scraper. Roll each piece in more toasted flour for an extra coating, shaking off any excess.
Notes
- Glutinous rice flour: This is sticky rice or sweet rice flour that becomes sticky and chewy when cooked.
- Tapioca flour: I'm adding a little bit to achieve a chewier, more elastic texture. If you don't have it, you can replace it with the same amount of glutinous rice flour instead.
- Ube: This is purple yam that's brightly colored and has a sweet, earthy taste. I've used purple sweet potatoes as a substitute—they are so similar you might not notice the difference. You can also use frozen ube or Ube Halaya, but reduce the sugar by ¼ cup.
Len
Sssoooooooo goooood!!!!!
Nora Reyes
Hi Len, thank you so much! Glad you liked it!