I have a Fair Corn Dog Recipe with a new twist, and I thought about this after I made a trip to Hawaii. While I was there, I was introduced to a local recipe that is to DIE for! It was a hotdog surrounded by a dark bread that was actually PURPLE inside and called the Hula Dog. It was incredibly moist because the bread was made with a vegetable called Ube or Purple Yam. So, I got to thinking how great it would be to make a homemade corndog with purple pancake batter. Seeing how I like to eat healthy, I have substituted the cornmeal or flour with coconut flour and also use coconut milk. Here is my recipe that will leave everyone asking for more!
What is the difference between the ube and taro?
The main difference between ube and taro is that ube has a rich, sweet flavor, while taro tastes earthy, slightly nutty, and a lot less sweet. You can also tell them apart by their color when sliced; ube has a purple hue, while taro has white flesh with specks of purple.
The ube and taro are both tubers that have a similar appearance and share many uses in the kitchen. They often get mixed up, but there are some noticeable differences so they shouldn’t be used interchangeably in cooking. In this article, we’ll take a close look at the taro and ube to find out what sets them apart.
The ube, or purple yam, ranges in color from white to purple and is usually sweet, making it perfect for sweet dishes like ice cream, cookies, cakes, and jam. It is also used for savory purposes such as roast vegetables or ube puree. The taro has a white or pale lavender color with a blander flavor that is much less sweet. It is best used in savory meals although it is a key ingredient in taro coconut tapioca dessert and makes a great smoothie.
Fair Corn Dog Recipe with Ube – Ube vs. Taro Comparison
Appearance
Ube
The ube can easily be distinguished from a yam due to its color, which is usually an intense saturated purple. When cooked or processed into baked goods and other desserts its color intensifies. Food photographers, bakers, and café owners love using this vegetable in recipes to make vibrant food that looks irresistible.
Taro
Taro has a lighter, often white shade of flesh when it is pulled from the soil. Once grated, blended, or chopped up, it will often transform into a light purple color. Although taro lacks the vibrancy of an ube, this is seen as a positive by food sellers in the Philippines and other tropical countries, who market the taro as a “healthier flavor” in sweet treats like slushies and ice cream.
Fair Corn Dog Recipe with Ube
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ube
- 14 oz can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk well shaken
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons ube extract
- ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp melted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use coconut flour)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
How to Mix together Ube Pancake Batter
This recipe starts off similar to traditional pancake batter. Whisk dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredient together. Then, combine the dry and wet.
- In large bowl, whisk together the ube and half of coconut milk until mixture is smooth.
- Add in the vanilla extract, melted butter, eggs, and remaining coconut milk. Whisk until eggs are thoroughly incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour ( I used coconut flour), baking power, and salt. Add dry mixture to large bowl with wet ingredients.
- Fold until there are no longer any streaks of flour. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly chunky like the image above.
HOW TO MAKE CORN DOGS
Heat 2 quarts of oil to 350 degrees in a large pot or Dutch-oven.
Pat hot dogs dry and insert a skewer into each hot dog. Pour the batter into a tall drinking glass (not too full) and dip one dog at a time into the batter, then place into the hot oil to fry (I like to make sure that the batter is coating a bit of the skewer/stick so that the coating stays on).
Let the corn dog sink to the bottom and then turn it with tongs to ensure that it is browning evenly on all sides. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.
Repeat until all the hot dogs are cooked. You will need to keep refilling the glass with the batter as you go.
NOTE: If batter is too thick, add a splash of buttermilk to thin it out.
STORING + REHEATING
We like to eat these corn dogs while they are fresh, but if you have leftovers, STORE in a Ziploc bag in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. Or you can air fry too.
These corn dogs also FREEZE really well.
