This Kalamay Gabi recipe is a simple yet delicious Filipino dessert made with taro, coconut milk, and just a few other ingredients. Creamy, sweet, and perfect as an afternoon snack or dessert for any occasion!
Filipinos love sticky sweet delicacies known as kalamay, a type of kakanin. Kalamay can be flavored in so many ways, and each one imparts a unique flavor, texture, and color, such as coconut cream in Kalamay Lansong, ube or purple yam in Ube Halaya, and gabi or taro for Kalamay Gabi, which I am featuring in this recipe.
What is Kalamay Gabi?
Kalamay Gabi is a Filipino native delicacy or kakanin made using taro, a starchy root vegetable widely grown and used in Asia. The corm tastes nutty and mildly sweet, and its texture (starchy or waxy) resembles a sweet potato or yam. Taro is a versatile ingredient when it comes to cooking. You can add them to soups like in sinigang or make them into taro chips and on the sweeter side, gabi ice cream, or taro milk tea.
Kalamay is typically made with ground glutinous rice but this Kalamay Gabi recipe is not your typical kalamay, as we will be using purely taro. It is named kalamay because of the manner of cooking, which involves continuously stirring the mixture until thick and sticky in consistency, more similar to Ube Halaya which is why it is also called Halayang Gabi. This recipe can also be used in making taro paste.
Recipe Video
Ingredients Needed for Kalamay Gabi
- Taro or gabi - I used the large variant of taro for this recipe. Do not use the small ones (usually for sinigang), as they do not work well for this recipe.
- Coconut milk - I used canned coconut milk as it is more convenient. You may use freshly squeezed coconut milk if available.
- Evaporated milk - Aside from its creamy taste, it also adds richness to the kalamay.
- Butter - You may also use margarine. It makes the kalamay richer in flavor.
- White sugar- Provides sweetness to the dish. You may also use condensed milk as substitute.
Tips in making Kalamay Gabi or Halayang Gabi
- Choose a taro that is hard and heavy for its size.
- If fresh taro is unavailable, you may use the frozen ones. Just thaw before proceeding with the recipe.
- Boiling the taro unpeeled makes it easier to handle as the sap from the fresh corm can cause itching.
- Use a non-stick pan and wooden spoon to prevent the kalamay from sticking and to make stirring easier.
- Arrange the finished product on banana leaves to give the dish a pleasant look.
- You can use a blender or a potato masher to speed up the process of grating the taro.
More Filipino Kakanin to try:
Serving and Storing Notes
You may serve your Kalamay Gabi with grated cheese or latik as toppings. Both are equally delicious! Enjoy it with your favorite hot or cold drink for dessert, an afternoon snack or even breakfast.
Keep leftovers in a tightly sealed container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Printable Recipe
Kalamay Gabi Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 grams taro / gabi
- water -for boiling
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 can evaporated milk
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter/margarine
Toppings:
- Latik or cheese - click link for the Latik recipe
Instructions
- 500 grams taro / gabi, waterSoak unpeeled gabi in water and brush the skin to get rid of dirt. Transfer the washed gabi to a pot and fill it with water until fully covered.
- Cover the pot with the lid and bring to boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
- Drain the water and let water run through the gabi to cool it down faster. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and shred/ grate coarsely. Set aside.
- 1 can coconut milk, 1 can evaporated milk, ½ cup white sugarIn a pot or wide, deep pan, combine the coconut milk, evaporated milk, and sugar. Stir until well combined and sugar is dissolved.
- Add the grated gabi and and mix. Turn heat to medium-low and let it simmer while stirring regularly until it becomes very thick and heavy.
- 1 tablespoon butter/margarineAdd butter and stir until melted and well incorporated. Cook for about 2-3 minutes more and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Grease 2 -3 llanera molds generously with butter. Divide the kalamay gabi into the llaneras and let it cool down to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or until cold.
- Latik or cheeseTop with Latik or grated cheese before serving.
janet says
Hi, what if I add Ube flavor? Maybe it will taste almost like ube halaya 😀
Bebs says
Maybe it would, Janet. But the truth is, the bottled ube flavor is not the same as natural ube flavor... slightly similar but it should work. 😉