Funky Purple Ube Waffles

This waffle recipe is a combination of a crispy Belgian waffles and Filipino flavours. Light and crispy on the outside, chewy, flavourful and purple one the inside. It's a perfect breakfast option for kids, but I'm not going to lie, I'm an adult and I still get a kick out of unusually coloured food, especially when it's natural colouring.

Ube is a purple yam, a bit similar in appearance to purple potatoes, however ube has a completely different flavour. It tastes sweet and a bit nutty with hints of coconut and vanilla. It's a very popular dessert ingredient in the Philippines.

You can buy raw yams, grated and frozen pulp as well as ube spreads (jams) and powdered ube. I live in Europe and although I have well stocked Asian supermarkets around, I've never encountered raw ube. For that reason I only ever use ube jams in my desserts. It's easy to find, cheap and widely available online. If possible, when buying online, get it from Asian supermarkets, it's usually cheaper and fresher that way. It's available on Amazon too, but prices are ridiculous for one jar of jam.

While ube jam is quite purple, it's not enough for vibrant purple colour I want in my waffles. You will need ube flavouring, also widely available in Asian supermarkets.

FOR 6 SQUARE WAFFLES:

• 2 EGGS
• 1 CUP UBE JAM https://www.amazon.co.uk/Buenas-Sweet-Purple-Sprea...
• 1/2 CUP OIL (YOUR PREFERENCE, YOU CAN USE MELTED BUTTER, SUNFLOWER OIL, COCONUT OIL...)
• 1 CUP COCONUT MILK (REGULAR MILK WOULD WORK TOO)
• 2 TSP UBE FLAVOURING https://www.amazon.co.uk/McCormick-Ube-Flavour-20m...
• 2 CUPS PLAIN FLOUR
• 1 TSP BAKING POWDER
  

*You probably noticed there is no sugar in this recipe. It's not necessary, so don't be tempted to add any. Ube jam has enough sugar to sweeten the waffles sufficiently.

You can use a stand mixer, hand mixer or a regular whisk.

1. Whisk eggs and ube jam until smooth and lump free.

2. Add milk and oil, whisk until combined, then add ube flavouring and watch the colour transformation.

1. Whisk flour and baking powder together.

2. Mix dry and wet ingredients until smooth.

*You want the consistency of the batter to be on a thick side, sort of like a really thick yogurt.

1. Preheat the waffle maker to medium heat.

2. Spray the bottom and top plates with a cooking spray or brush it with oil if you don't use sprays.

3. Pour the mixture and cook for 4-5 minutes.

4. Once cooked, transfer onto a cooling rack to ensure they remain crispy on the outside.

Thanks to the ube jam the waffles are sweet enough to eat on their own. There is no need for maple syrup, honey or sweetened sauces. I like to use low sugar fruit sauces like raspberries or blueberries, whipped cream mixed with ube yam or lemon curd.

*Cooked waffles can be frozen, kept in the freezer for a few weeks and either thawed outside or in the microwave.