You’ve probably heard of Paleo ice cream before. You may have even made a batch or two yourself, but have you ever thought about using yams as a base for your ice cream?
Purple yams are just a type of yam whose color tends to be (and I bet you already guessed it) purple.
What Does Ube Mean?
Ube is the Filipino word for yam.
If you’ve ever been to the Philippines or maybe you’ve dined at a Filipino restaurant or walked through a Filipino grocery store there’s a high probability that you’ve seen or maybe even tasted Ube ice cream.
From the moment I tried it several years ago during one of our Paleo Chicago Meetup events, I wanted to make it at home. Recently I decided to give it a go and asked our friends Victor & Abi to confirm a few things in the process.
In the end we were pretty happy with this Paleo Ube Ice Cream, and Jeff & I even shared a taste with everyone during our Paleo Porn movie night while watching The City Dark. (I didn’t prepare more than a pint so everyone was able to have a spoonful.) :)
More About Yams
When most of us think of “yams”, what really comes to mind is some form of sweet potato. In the U.S., different varieties of sweet potatoes are labeled “yams” to differentiate them from other sweet potato varieties.
Yams do tend to look and taste like sweet potatoes. They’re another source of slow carbs, because even though they’re sweet, they’re high in fiber, so they don’t cause a sugar rush. Ube is a true yam and they’re about as sweet as they come.
If you’re familiar with ube, you probably already know it’s a common ingredient in desserts all over the world. From ice cream, to cakes and cookies, this starchy tuber can be used to naturally sweeten all sorts of homemade treats.
Where To Find Purple Yams
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Jeff & I drove into the city and prior to dining at a Cuban restaurant for dinner I had him stop at a Filipino grocery store so I could pick up a few things.
Made a trip into the city tonight so I made @jeffSARRIS stop at the Filipino grocery store for purple yams and chicken feet :) #PaleoPorn
— Marla Sarris (@MARLAsarris) February 14, 2015
When we stopped to pick up the yams, I was truly expecting to find something unfamiliar however once I picked up the purple yams from the Filipino grocery store, I realized we had them at our local grocery store. So if you have a Mariano’s in your area, you’ve probably walked right past them a million times, like I have.
If you have neither Mariano’s nor a Filipino grocery store in your area, check your local grocer in the area where potatoes are sold and look for those with a white exterior.
You may not find purple yams in your area, and in that case you can certainly make due with alternative varieties but in that case your Paleo ice cream won’t be Paleo Porn purple. ;)
Sweet Enough?
Purple yams are sweet all by themselves, but I added some raw honey for the hell of it. Feel free to reduce the amount of honey used or remove it altogether, if you’re currently on a sugar detox.
