Ube Ice Cream and other strange things

[one...two...tree 2,762]

For those of you who have never tried Ube Ice Cream, see if you can find it in your area - it is mmmmmm...delicious! Interestingly, it's not even a native plant of the Philippines but from India.

Ube (or ubi) is the Tagalog word for purple yam (Dioscorea alata). In India, this vegetable is known as ratalu or violet yam or the Moraga Surprise. In the Philippines, ube is cooked with sugar and eaten as a sweetened dessert or jam called halaya ube which is a bright violet color. Ube is also an ingredient in the fruity dessert halo halo, another popular Filipino dessert.

Probably brought to the Philippines by settlers, the ube plant spread like a weed unknown to locals. It was discovered around the time of famine when people were desperate for food.

Ube is now used in a variety of desserts, as well as a flavour for ice cream, Swiss rolls, tarts, cookies, cakes, and pastries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ube

Do you have any native foods that you have a hard time finding here in the states?

[Marc and Olga 0]

Milkis! It's Korean but I first had it during my trip to Russia.

Was a pain to find and when I did find it here in Tucson...it is F'in expensive! $4/1.5l!!!!

(about twice the cost of coke/pepsi! =( )

[Hornet 2]

LOL I tried some ube ice cream when I was there a couple weeks ago. It's good Talaga!!!!

But then I also ate some more Balut while I was there too. Who here has eaten that?

I think I had 4!!!

Edited October 17, 2006 by Hornet

[rebelheart 0]

Me & my son loves Ube ice cream .. we had chance to buy it here in GA. We're having fun visiting different asian/international market here in GA. My son always got this expression of "Look!! Mama .. phils products" and i'm happy i could cook filipino dishes even here in states for finding familiar ingredients i need to use. I bought gallons of Datu puti soysauce, vinegar and fish sauce. Bcos first time i used other asian products, its taste different for my adobo.

ONLY one thing i really missed that i cannot find in here, KANGKONG ... because sinigang is my son favorite dish to eat with rice, & i love adobo or steamed kangkong with kamayan bagoong.

I met alot of filipino settler's here in GA from church, they said that i cannot see kangkong in here but maybe in more filipino populated area like in california or others. But well i still cook sinigang without kangkong only for my son cravings. He loves also paksiw na pata, adobo, chopsuey, pansit & i bought bunch of "lucky me pancit canton" his favorite breakfast to eat.

Edited October 17, 2006 by rebelheart

[tom&tata 2]

ONLY one thing i really missed that i cannot find in here, KANGKONG ... because sinigang is my son favorite dish to eat with rice, & i love adobo or steamed kangkong with kamayan bagoong.

I accidentally found kangkung (that's how we spell in in Indonesia ) in a Asian store. I could not believe it I used to live in the Netherlands before, and though they are a lot of Indonesian store/restaurant there, I could not seem to find kangkung in the Asian stores so I knew I was gonna miss this one veggie.

But I found kangkung in North Indiana....unbelievable.