Ube espasol is a soft, chewy Filipino rice cake coated in toasted rice flour and flavored with ube. It's lightly sweet, a little sticky, and the kind of snack you'll usually see wrapped in paper and sold at markets. Making it at home is easier than it looks and doesn't take much.
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Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Glutinous rice flour: Also known as sweet rice flour, this type of flour is made from sticky or sweet rice. It is not sweet, but it becomes chewy and sticky when cooked, giving espasol its signature texture.
- Tapioca flour: I add a little bit of this for a chewier, more elastic texture. If you don't have it, you can replace it with the same amount of glutinous rice flour.
- Ube: This purple yam has a sweet, earthy flavor and vibrant color. You can also use frozen ube, or even purple sweet potatoes (like I did) as a substitute-they're very similar in taste. If using ube halaya, reduce the sugar by ¼ cup.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Combine the wet ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup mashed ube (I'm using purple sweet potatoes), 1 can of coconut milk, 1 cup brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon ube extract (optional), and a pinch of salt. Mix until the mixture is as smooth as possible.
Step 2: Toast the glutinous rice flour
In a skillet or wok, toast 2¼ cups of sticky rice flour over medium heat. Keep stirring for about 20 minutes, until the flour turns light brown and smells nutty.
If it starts to smoke, turn the heat down. You can raise the heat a little to speed things up, but be sure to stir more often to avoid burning. Once it's done, set aside ½ cup of the toasted flour for coating later.
Step 3: Add the tapioca flour
Reduce the heat to low and stir in ¼ cup of tapioca flour with the toasted rice flour. Keep mixing for about 2 minutes until well combined, then turn off the heat.
Step 4: Prepare your work surface
Place a 12x12 inch piece of parchment paper (or banana leaf) on a flat surface like a cutting board or countertop. Use a fine-mesh strainer and sprinkle about a third of the reserved toasted flour evenly across the paper.
Leave a little space around the edges without flour, depending on how thick you want your espasol to be.
Step 5: Combine the wet and dry ingredients
Pour the wet ingredients into the pan with the rest of the flour. Set the heat to medium and mix everything together until smooth. Use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon, as there will be a lot of mixing.
Step 6: Mix until thick
Spread the mixture around the pan as you stir, and fold it by lifting it from the edges and turning it over to mix. Keep doing this for about 10 minutes.
As it cooks, the mixture will become stickier, chewier, and darken slightly in color. When it thickens and becomes harder to stir, it's ready!
Step 7: Spread the dough
While the sticky dough is still warm and easier to work with, transfer it onto the sheet of parchment paper. Spread it out evenly to about ½ inch thick, or to your desired thickness.
Step 8: Coat the espasol
Generously dust the top of the dough with toasted flour. Then, cut the dough into rectangular or cylindrical pieces (or whatever shape you prefer), 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 thaw at room temperature when you're ready to eat, so it becomes soft again.
Recipe FAQs
Ube espasol is a Filipino rice cake, or kakanin, with a fun twist on the classic espasol. It has a vibrant purple color and is made with glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, and ube (purple yam).
Ube espasol has a sweet, nutty flavor with the earthy, vanilla-like taste of ube. Its texture is soft and slightly chewy.
No, regular rice flour won't work for this recipe. You need glutinous rice flour to get the chewy and sticky texture that makes espasol special.
More Filipino recipes with ube
- Ube cheese pandesal: Soft and fluffy bread rolls 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 with ube, coated in grated coconut and topped with sugar and sesame seeds/peanuts.
Other kakanin recipes you may like
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📖 Recipe
Ube Espasol
Equipment
- Non-stick sauté pan or a pan with high sides
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Parchment paper or banana leaves (12x12 inch)
- Fine mesh strainer
- 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 cup ube or purple yam boiled and mashed (see note)
- 1 (13.5-oz) can coconut milk (about 1⅔ cups)
- 1 cup brown or granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ube extract or flavoring optional
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium 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 over medium heat. Keep stirring for about 20 minutes, until the flour turns light brown and smells nice and 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.
- Set aside ½ cup of the toasted flour for coating.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in ¼ cup of tapioca flour with the toasted rice flour. Keep mixing for about 2 minutes until well combined, then turn off the heat.
- Place a 12x12 inch piece of parchment paper (or banana leaf) on a flat surface. Using a fine-mesh strainer, sprinkle about a third of the reserved toasted flour evenly across the paper.Leave a little space around the edges without flour, depending on how thick you want your espasol to be.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the pan with the remaining flour. Set the heat to medium and mix everything together until smooth.
- Spread the mixture around the pan as you stir, and fold it by lifting it from the edges and turning it over to mix. Keep doing this for about 10 minutes.As it cooks, the mixture will become stickier, chewier, and darken slightly in color. When it thickens and becomes harder to stir, it's ready.
- While the dough is still warm and easier to work with, transfer it onto the prepared parchment paper. Spread it out evenly to about ½ inch thick, or to your preferred thickness.
- Generously dust the top of the dough with toasted flour. Then, cut the dough into rectangular or cylindrical pieces (depending on your preference), using a knife or dough scraper. Roll each piece in more toasted flour, shaking off any extra flour. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Glutinous rice flour: This type of flour is made from sticky or sweet rice. It becomes chewy and sticky when cooked.
- Tapioca flour: I add a little bit of this for a chewier, more elastic texture. If you don't have it, you can replace it with the same amount of glutinous rice flour.
- Ube: This purple yam has a sweet, earthy flavor and vibrant color. You can use frozen ube, or even purple sweet potatoes as a substitute-they're very similar in taste. If using ube halaya, reduce the sugar by ¼ cup.
Len says
Sssoooooooo goooood!!!!!
Nora Reyes says
Hi Len, thank you so much! Glad you liked it!