Ube Halaya or Rasavalli Kizhangu Kali

This halva-like confection is made by cooking down purple yam in coconut milk, flavored and colored by the vibrant yam itself. Halaya is a classic Filippino treat, used in halo halo, ice creams, and chiffon cakes--but it bears striking similarity to a "pudding" Sri Lankan Tamils make. This recipe thus cuts across time, region, and culture.

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Ingredients

½ kg or about 1lb of ube or purple yam, rasavalli kizhangu
½ cup unsalted butter
2 cups of thick freshly extracted coconut milk (or 1 13oz can)
2 cups or 1 large can of condensed milk
2 cups evaporated milk or 1 13 oz can, or boil 1 litre of fresh milk down to about half the volume and use that instead
1 cup of sugar
A few drops of ube essence, if you have it
A few drops of ube coloring, if you must
A handful of assorted nuts, cranberries, raisins (optional—traditional for halvas, not for halayas)

Instructions

Prepare the Ube

Oil your hands well with coconut oil before handling the ube/rasavalli kizhangu. Yam skins contain oxalates and/or saponins which cause contact dermatitis: they make your hands unbearably itchy. Keep some aloe on hand, just in case.
Depending on how purple your purple yam is, you may find most of its color residing just barely under the skin. So scrape that off with a knife (not a peeler) to retain as much of the natural color for the halaya.
Either chop or grate the ube and set aside.

Prepare the halaya

Prepare moulds by greasing them lightly with coconut milk or butter. If you’re not using moulds, then just have a serving dish ready.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pan and on low-medium heat, melt the butter and let this sizzle for some minutes as though you’re making ghee.
Once this is fragrant and maybe a little nutty like brown butter, add the ube. Mix well.
Follow soon after with the coconut milk. Add this in batches, mixing well to incorporate each time.
Keep stirring as this thickens very fast.
Once the ube softens, you have two choices. You can transfer the whole mixture to a blender and whizz until very smooth, or you can keep cooking as-is and leave the halaya a bit more textured. Most modern halaya will be smooth-textured, so that’s the process I’ve followed.
Now pour the puree back into the cooking pan, back on low-medium heat.
Add in the sugar and the condensed milk, if using.
Now roll up your sleeves and continue mixing as the mixture thickens. Do not leave the halaya unattended. Ube is a heavy yam, so the mixture will catch and burn easily and it takes strength to keep it moving. Use a metal spatula that allows you to scrape down the bottom and sides of the pan easily.
Cook this mixture down until you start to see the fats from the coconut milk and butter release from the sides.
Add the ube flavor and coloring, if using.
Turn off the heat and transfer to moulds.
Toast the nuts and raisins in a little oil or butter, if using to garnish.
This halaya is best served warm. It keeps well, refrigerated, for several weeks. Reheat gently to serve.

Notes

The ingredients listed above are those used to make ube halaya today. This halva like preparation is very forgiving. A little more or less of any of the ingredients will vary the final product, but not by too much.
Make a chunkier and more textured halaya by chopping the ube and mashing as you cook it down in coconut milk
Go vegan—use only coconut milk and sugar to make this halaya in the old styles. Use coconut oil in place of butter.
Skip the condensed milk entirely and replace with more thick coconut milk and sugar—or 1 additional litre of thickened milk or cream
Use dayap if you have access (or some other equally flavorful lemon like the Meyer) to impart a more uniquely Filippino taste.
Sprinkle in a 1 teaspoon of roasted, powdered ulundu/urad dal to give it a more distinctly Tamil fragrance.
Leave the pudding runnier and serve it in a bowl, or cook it down further and set it in moulds in the spirit of the old jaleas or just like a good warm halva with cold ice cream
Use the halaya as an ingredient in other recipes, such as the ube chiffon cake, ice cream, or to assemble halo halo