Sugary Yema balls recipe: classic pasalubong pang negosyo
Yema is a sugary custard confectionary that’s usually bought from pasalubong centers whether in the city or provinces.
But aside from being one of the most favorite pasalubong, you can also cook your very own Yema at home and it couldn’t be easier.
When preparing this Filipino recipe, you just have to prepare four simple ingredients and I added a little extra secret to make it even more delicious!
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Yema Recipe Preparation Tips
Yema balls with peanuts (how to make classic yema)
Ingredients
- 6 Egg Yolks
- 1 can sweetened Condensed Milk (14 oz)
- 1 tsp Vanilla essence
- ¼ cup peanuts chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp White Sugar (to coat)
Instructions
- In a frying pan or pot on medium heat, melt the butter.
- Mix the egg yolks, condensed milk, and vanilla with the butter until well blended. Then add the mixture to the pan.
- Add the peanuts and bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat to prevent the mixture from burning.
- Using a metal spatula, stir the milk as if you are scraping the bottom of the pan. Stir constantly.
- This must be done continuously to avoid burning the milk and to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- The mixture is ready when it becomes very thick and ready to form as a ball. Usually around 20 mins or so. Let it cool.
- When cool, form the mixture into balls about 2 to 3 cm in diameter.
- Place the Yema balls on a wide plate with white sugar then roll; once coated, pick up each ball with a toothpick so all the sugar stays on.
- Then wrap the balls in cellophane and twist both ends to secure, or you can get really creative with the presentation!
Video
Nutrition
It’s a very easy preparation and cooking procedure. When shopping for the ingredients, see to it that the peanuts are of excellent quality.
The peanuts should be chopped for better blending with the other ingredients. The condensed milk and butter should be of good quality too.
This is to ensure that you will come up with the best tasting Yema ever. In cooking this recipe, it should be stirred well to make it thick.
You have to follow the instructions carefully so that it won’t be overcooked. Turn the stove on low heat only so that the yema will remain soft and won’t get too dark in color.
Allow it to cool down before shaping it; otherwise, expect your palms to get burned quite a bit. It should remain soft and moldable even when cool.
The preparation time for this Yema Recipe is just ten minutes while cooking time takes about fifteen to 20 minutes minutes. Isn’t it very easy to add this to your snacks list?
Once you’re done wrapping this sweet delicacy, it’s time to place them in a beautiful bowl or a native plate to make it appear very enticing.
Especially if you’re going to serve this if there’s a festivity or a special occasion at home, you have to create a beautiful presentation.
What’s a Pasalubong?
When someone travels out of town, it’s usually a part of a “Pasalubong”, a traditional gift from travelers, given to friends and family members when they come home from work pang negosyo.
Your guests will definitely love indulging in your Yema Recipe after enjoying the main dish that you have prepared or as a parting gift.
The kids of your guests and even your own will surely love this and keep on coming back for more until they are fully satisfied.
Also read: this is how you make traditional Filipino barquillos
How did yema originate?
Home to many native delicacies, Bulacan province is also where one of the well-loved sweets, Yema, originated.
Urban legend says that during the Spanish occupation in the Philippines, egg yolks were disposed of while the egg whites were used in construction sites.
It’s been said that the egg whites were mixed with the cement to have a marble-like appearance.
Now, since the egg yolks were just set aside, the Filipinos got them and combined them with peanuts, butter, and milk.
This is how the Yema Recipe started and became one of the favorite Filipino foods for kids and adults alike.
Take note too that if this will be served during the Christmas Season (Check our Top 15 Filipino Recipes during Christmas, Holiday Season), you can wrap it in colorful cellophane that can be associated with the colors of the holiday season.
You would likely be interested to know too that this wonderful recipe has a good amount of nutritional value as well.
It contains about 100mg. of Potassium, 54mg. of Vitamin D, 12mg. of Calcium and 28mg. of Vitamin A. It also has Vitamin C, Magnesium, and Iron.
More delicious sweets? Check out this Buko Pandan Salad Recipe
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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.