Ube is here to stay.

Casting Filipino kitchens in a vibrant violet hue for millennia, these tubers have taken root in the hearts, minds, and stomachs of those worldwide. Who wouldn’t immediately be captivated by such a striking shade? Few, if any, earthly ingredients could ever achieve that brilliance. One glance and the brain starts spinning like a top, searching for context clues to make sense of what might be on our plates but no, there’s nothing quite like ube.

Adjacent to Hannah yams in terms of texture and flavor, most people seek to accentuate their natural sweetness in desserts. Subtly nutty, accented by hints of floral vanilla, it’s an excellent candidate for the last course. I, however, am not most people, and I think ube should be the entree, too.

Noodles Everyday, In All The Ways

Back when I was obsessed with my pasta maker, if I could extrude it in a dough, no flavor combination was off the table. That era was marked by furious flour storms and spaghetti stands drying on every available surface. Beet linguine, spinach ravioli, charcoal spaghetti; I noodled through every color of the rainbow and back again. One stand-out experiment was ube fettuccine, impossibly indigo, fit for royalty.

Yes, the pasta portion of the recipe is written in grams; it’s worth the price of a kitchen scale, if you don’t already have one. Pasta making isn’t hard, especially with a machine doing the heavy lifting, but it is exacting.

Semi-Homemade Hack

To that end, you can use store-bought dried pasta and cook it in ube-tinted waters for a quicker, and easier fix, but one with much less impact. Expect something more along the lines of pastel lavender pasta, and precious little added flavor to speak of.

To honor its more tropical origin, no average Alfredo sauce would do. Coconut replaces cream in a lush, velvety, unapologetically rich base, coaxed back into savory territory with umami nutritional yeast, garlic, and a whisper of lemon juice. Simple in composition but wildly nuanced in flavor, it’s a sauce that sings in harmony with the sweet, nutty depth of the ube without competing, only amplifying.

Why relegate something so naturally brilliant to just pastries and lattes? Ube has range, and clear staying power. It brings a gentle sweetness with a grounding earthiness that makes it just as welcome at the start of a meal as the finish.

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Yield: Makes 2 Servings

Ube Fettuccine with Coconut Alfredo Sauce

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Ube takes center stage in this vibrant, savory twist on tradition. Inspired by the Filipino tuber's iconic hue and subtle, nutty sweetness, this dish pairs homemade ube fettuccine with a rich, coconut-based sauce that’s equal parts creamy and umami.

Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Ube Pasta:

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• 250 Grams All-Purpose Flour
• 90 Grams Aquafaba
• 4 Grams Ube Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Coconut Alfredo Sauce:

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• 1 (13.5-Ounce) Can Full-Fat Coconut Milk
• 1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
• 1 Tablespoon White Miso Paste
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 2 Teaspoon Tapioca Starch
• 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Garnish:

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• Cilantro
• Toasted Sesame

Instructions

1. To make the pasta, place the all-purpose flour in your pasta maker with the fettuccine extrusion disc installed*. Slowly drizzle in the aquafaba and ube extract while the motor runs, and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.
   
2. Gently toss the freshly extruded pasta with additional flour to prevent them from sticking or clumping together. Let stand in a cool, dry place for at least 1 hour for best results.
   
3. When you're ready to cook the dish, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook for only 1 - 3 minutes, until the noodles begin to float. Quickly drain and immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Gently toss with olive oil and set aside.
   
4. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by adding all the ingredients into a saucepan and whisk vigorously to combine. Set over medium-low and whisk periodically until the mixture begins to thicken. Once it comes to a full boil, cook for another 30 second before turning off the heat.
   
5. Toss the pasta with sauce, mix thoroughly to coat, and divide equally between 2 plates. Top with toasted sesame seeds and cilantro, as desired. Serve hot!
   

Notes

If you don't want to make your own pasta from scratch, you can use 8 ounces of dried fettuccine instead. You can lightly tint them purple by mixing ube extract into the cooking water, but it won't be as vibrant or flavorful as noodles made with the extract added directly into the dough.

Recommended Products

Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. I have experience with all of these companies and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something through my links.

• 
  Edward & Sons, Let's Do Organic, Organic Tapioca Starch (Flour), 6 oz (170 g)
• 
  KAL Nutritional Yeast Flakes | Vitamin B12, Vegan, Non-GMO, Gluten Free | Unsweetened, Great Flavor, No Bitter Aftertaste | Great for Cooking | 22 oz
• 
  Butterfly Brand Ube Flavoring

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 781Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 871mgCarbohydrates: 106gFiber: 5gSugar: 1gProtein: 18g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.