This Ube Maja Blanca is the classic Filipino coconut pudding recipe with an added ube (purple yam) flavor for a delicious twist. It's a creamy, velvety and sweet dessert that is perfect for holidays or any special occasion!
Enjoy the ube desserts? Then you're going to love these: Homemade Ube Pancakes, Ube Buchi, Ube Biko, and Ube Champorado!
What is Maja Blanca?
Maja Blanca (Coconut Pudding) is a popular Filipino dessert made mainly of coconut milk, cornstarch and corn kernels which are boiled and stirred in low heat until it has a thick creamy and velvety texture. It is an authentic Filipino variation of the creamy milk-based Spanish dessert known as manjar blanco (or blancmange in English).
“Maja” means to pound, grind, mash or reduce to pulp while “blanca” means white. Its name closely defines its white appearance and how it is made because during the Spanish period in the Philippines, the coconut meat was ground and pounded to extract the coconut milk. This dessert has many variations which includes maja buko pandan, maja maiz and squash maja blanca.
In this Ube Maja Blanca recipe, also known as as maja de ube, I added ube halaya (purple yam jam) in the ingredients which makes a delightful combo of ube, corn and coconut milk in one kakanin or dessert! This light, sweet and refreshing delicacy is a good dessert recipe to start with for beginners because it is super duper easy to cook. Give this a try!
Tips and Procedures:
- Boil the maja blanca mixture over steady low heat so that it will be cooked thoroughly.
- Remember to stir continuously to avoid any burnt spots at the bottom. The mixture has to be very thick so that it will set once you transfer it onto a pan.
- Topping options: grated cheese, latik or coconut curds, corn kernels, toasted desiccated coconut, coconut sport strings (macapuno) and ground nuts.
- You may use agar-agar (gulaman in Filipino) if cornstarch is unavailable.
- Make sure to refrigerate this dessert first before serving. It will help the pudding set, and will make slicing and serving much easier.
- Storage: Put the maja blanca in an airtight plastic container or cover it with a plastic wrap then place in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
How to Make Ube Maja :
Listed below are all the ingredients you will need:
- cornstarch
- water
- coconut milk
- condensed milk
- whole milk
- ube halaya
- brown sugar
- ube extract
- corn kernels
Add cornstarch in a cup of water; mix until blended. Set aside.
In a large pot, add coconut milk, condensed milk, whole milk, ube halaya, brown sugar, ube extract and stir until well blended:
Bring to a gentle simmer for 2 minutes. Then, add the cornstarch mixture and the corn kernels into the pot. Continue to whisk until the mixture has thickened for about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and allow to cool completely at room temperature:
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
It might be because the pudding was not well cooked through or it was not stirred properly during cooking.
Maja Blanca is made mainly of coconut milk which can balance the hormonal system, improves digestion, moisturizes the skin, blood glucose and improves energy.
No, because cornstarch has a high carb content which is not good for keto dieters.
Ube Maja Blanca
Ingredients
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- 27 oz coconut milk
- 1 (14) oz condensed milk
- 12 oz whole milk
- 1 cup ube halaya
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons ube extract
- ¼ cup canned corn kernels
Instructions
- In a blender, add cornstarch, water and mix until blended, about 1 minute in a high speed blender, set aside
- In a large pot, add coconut milk, condensed milk, whole milk, ube halaya, brown sugar, and stir until well blended and bring to a gentle simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the cornstarch mixture and the corn kernels into the pot and whisk until mixutre has thickened for about 5 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
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