I love ube. Ube is a purple yam indigenous to Asia and it’s great for making many desserts with. Souffle pancakes, also called shiawase pancakes, are a very popular breakfast item or snack in Japan, known for their fluffy texture. Combine them together and theoretically, it should be a social media phenomenon.

For my recipe, I don’t like to waste, so I found ways to incorporate almost every part of the ube yam into the dish. The purple flesh of the yam is going into the pancake batter. The skins, candied and crisped up as a garnish. Even the water I boiled the ube in, which turns this vibrant purple color, it will be used in the pancake batter as well. Almost nothing goes to waste with this recipe!

For the pancakes (makes 3 large souffle pancakes)
2 tablespoons ube paste (mashed, sieved, and cooled)
1/4 all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons ube water
1 teaspoon powdered coconut milk
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
purple food coloring*

Separate eggs. Whip whites with sugar until stiff. In another bowl, combine all of the other ingredients. If the egg yolk based mixture is not purple, you can use purple food coloring. Depending on the temperature of the room, the ube may oxidize are turn green, but it is still perfectly edible. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold the rest in.

In a very lowly heated, lightly oiled pan, gently scoop in three mounds of the batter. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes before flipping and cooking for another 3.

For the skins:
Ube skins
canola oil
sugar
salt
cinnamon
coconut flakes

For the skins, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the skins with a little canola oil, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and coconut flakes. Spread and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the skins get crispy.

Blackberry-opal basil syrup:
1/2 cup fresh blackberries
2 teaspoons chiffonaded opal basil
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Combine ingredients and allow to sit until the berries become soft and a natural syrup forms around the sugar.

Coconut chantilly cream:
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon powdered coconut milk

Whip into stiff peaks.

Assembly: Lay out the three pancakes and then pipe on the cream, garnish with the syrup and crunchy ube peels.