Continuing Filipino Traditions making Mongo Hopia Recipe
Making Chinese Moon Cakes recently had us craving one of our favorite Filipino “merienda” (Filipino snack) called Hopia Mongo. Hopia is a perfectly baked flaky crust bread pastry filled with lightly sweet yellow mung bean paste. This definitely brings back childhood memories of my aunties and Lola (grandmother) making Hopia together. Hoping that making these delicious mini cakes will spark our own family traditions.
Hopia was introduced in the Philippines by Fukienese immigrants during the early 1900s. has Chinese origins, introduced to Filipinos by Fukienese immigrants in the early 1900s. Hopia means “good pastry” in Hokkian, a dialect spoken in Southern Fujian and Taiwan. There are numerous varieties of Hopia fillings that can be used but the most common are mung bean, adzuki bean paste, purple yams known in Tagalog as “ube”. Our favorite is Hopia mongo so here we go!
Check out The Filipina Kitchen Instagram Reel Tutorial.
Filipino Hopia Mongo Recipe
Mongo Filling:
1 cup uncooked yellow mongo (peeled)
2 cups of water ( add more if needed)
1 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
A pinch of salt
Dough 1:
2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoon sugar (dissolved in water)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
Dough 2:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter (softened)
Eggwash: 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water
Directions
For the mung bean filling:
- In a medium sauce pan, cook the mung beans in 2 cups of water until it softens and is a mashable consistency. Mash manually or in a food processor mash until it becomes a thick consistency.
- Add the condensed milk and sugar to the mung beans and mix.
- Add the flour and then place the mixture back on medium heat and mix until it returns back to a thick paste consistency.
For Dough 1:
- Mix flour and salt in a small bowl and in a separate small bowl mix the sugar and water together.
- Combine the dry ingredients with the shortening and then add the sugar/water mixture to the dough. Knead until the dough forms and then cover the bowl with a damp towel.
For Dough 2:
Mix the flour and butter together until it forms another dough.
For the final Dough (it’s best to watch our tutorial video for full detail):
- Roll out Dough 1 into a rectangular shape and about 1/4 inch thick.
- Spread Dough 2 across 1/3 of Dough 1.
- Fold the final dough over into thirds and then roll the dough out again into a rectangle.
- Repeat step 3 about 4-5 times which will create the flaky layers of the pastry.
- Form a final rectangle and divide into two parts (long way). For each part, roll into a log and divide log into about 8 even pieces.
For the Final Hopia:
- Roll out a piece of dough to a 1/8 inch round and add a small scoop of mung bean filling to the center of the dough.
- Gather all sides of the dough together and in order to form the hopia shape add the dough/filling into a cookie cutter. Repeat steps for each hopia.
- Bake hopia for 15 mins at 350 degrees F.
- Lightly brush the egg wash to the top of each hopia and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.
We hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as we did. It was surprisingly easy and oh so good!
Ingredients
- Mongo Filling: 1 cup uncooked yellow mongo (peeled)2 cups of water ( add more if needed)1 cup condensed milk1/2 cup sugar1/2 cup flourA pinch of saltDough 1: 2 cups of all purpose flour1/2 tsp salt1/2 cup water2 tablespoon sugar (dissolved in water)1/2 cup vegetable shorteningDough 2: 1 cup all purpose flour1/2 cup butter (softened)Eggwash: 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water
Instructions
For the mung bean filling:
- In a medium sauce pan, cook the mung beans in 2 cups of water until it softens and is a mashable consistency. Mash manually or in a food processor mash until it becomes a thick consistency.
- Add the condensed milk and sugar to the mung beans and mix.
- Add the flour and then place the mixture back on medium heat and mix until it returns back to a thick paste consistency.
For Dough 1:
- Mix flour and salt in a small bowl and in a separate small bowl mix the sugar and water together.
- Combine the dry ingredients with the shortening and then add the sugar/water mixture to the dough. Knead until the dough forms and then cover the bowl with a damp towel.
For Dough 2:
Mix the flour and butter together until it forms another dough.
For the final Dough (it's best to watch our tutorial video for full detail):
- Roll out Dough 1 into a rectangular shape and about 1/4 inch thick.
- Spread Dough 2 across 1/3 of Dough 1.
- Fold the final dough over into thirds and then roll the dough out again into a rectangle.
- Repeat step 3 about 4-5 times which will create the flaky layers of the pastry.
- Form a final rectangle and divide into two parts (long way). For each part, roll into a log and divide log into about 8 even pieces.
For the Final Hopia:
- Roll out a piece of dough to a 1/8 inch round and add a small scoop of mung bean filling to the center of the dough.
- Gather all sides of the dough together and in order to form the hopia shape add the dough/filling into a cookie cutter. Repeat steps for each hopia.
- Bake hopia for 15 mins at 350 degrees F.
- Lightly brush the egg wash to the top of each hopia and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.
We hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as we did. It was surprisingly easy and oh so good!
