Ube Espasol

Ube-flavored chewy rice cakes, a twist on the traditional espasol.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Filipino

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 101kcal

Author Nora Rey

Cost $5-$7

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

US Customary - Metric

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.

Nutrition