Did Ube Really Emerge As 2023's Standout Flavour?
Image Credit: A spoonful of ube-flavoured cream

Trend analysts and food writers across the world heralded a humble Filipino yam as the flavour of the year after a major media platform dubbed the veggie as 'the uber ingredient of 2023'. So, ube, the purple yam, native to Southeast Asia with an earthy sweet aftertaste and coconutty profile started gracing the A-lister menus across first-world countries, be it in burger buns, cocktails or even cakes! 

The hype trickled down to the Indian gastro scene as well, as luxury properties across Mumbai, Delhi and other metros started serving ube bubble teas and chic ube Pandan cotton cheesecakes and rolled out limited menus featuring ube. 

The purple yam even got some spotlight at Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Kapoor's New Year's Eve bash as a private chef collective whipped up some spring rolls and Asian delicacies using the veggie. Although the ube flavouring never really found mainstream success in the country's dining, it's worth noting that the flavour itself is poised to become the next big curiosity of the Indian food industry especially since it is largely being marketed as a dessert staple. And no trend flies faster off the shelves than a trendy sweet treat. 

Ube's slightly nutty, vanilla-esque flavour made it a viral sensation as Miami-based Manila Social Club released its $100 ‘gold-ube donut', flanked with Cristal champagne icing and filled with an ube mousse, champagne jelly, and covered with 24k Gold’. American retail chains are pushing ube-flavoured ice creams and limited edition ube dessert collections. 

It helps that ube, much like taro is a starchy tuber with plenty of health benefits. It is packed with antioxidants and can help boost blood circulation and prevent digestive problems and constipation. Much like malt loaves and avocado chocolate cakes, ube cakes or ube rice Krispies are fast emerging as a 'good enough' dessert option. It’s evident that ube is not just another pretty-faced veggie, although TikTok is crushing hard on ube, courtesy of its irresistible colour. Ube cookies, ube French toast, ube smoothies - the ube storm is getting bigger. 

However, cooking with ube is no cakewalk. The tube vegetable takes its sweet prep time. Raw ube needs to be boiled, steamed, or roasted first and it takes around 30 minutes to do so. In the Philippines, where ube is commonly grown, it's most popularly used as a paste called ube halaya which is made by grating or mashing boiled and mixing it with milk, or coconut milk. 

So, how should you really go about it? Should you start with a veggie ube roll or try an ube cupcake first to test the waters? You can go for an ube-flavoured powder to mix it in with your homemade bakes. There's ube jam which you can use to make cookies or as a condiment. If you do want to try your hands at cooking it, try tasting ube delicacies first or at least heed the advice of a YouTube chef who has gone through the trial and error process themselves.