Hopia Ube Filipino Treat: Hope-ya try it
Posted by Stephanie Co & Todd Smith on Friday, January 23rd, 2009Tags for this Article: dessert, filipino, hopia, pastry, snack, ube
At the very mention of a certain Tagalog word, I forget the deep fried bananas, sweet sticky rice, cassava, and mouthwatering mangoes; that word is Ube. Ube is a close cousin to Taro and for all of the other Laowai out there, it’s basically a purple yam (which on its own is pretty cool). The thing that makes ube so delicious is its versatility; it can be served icy cold or piping hot. I digress, this isn’t just an intro to ube—although it is the spark of many future ube-related posts. Steph was gracious enough to show me around Manila last year and it wasn’t until then that I discovered a famous Chinese-Filipino delicacy called “Hopia Ube.”
The content of hopia ube is actually quite simple; it consists of a sweet ube puree enveloped in a thin, flakey, pie crust-like shell. If you’re familiar with Chinese-Filipino cuisine you may have come across a few variations of it before; there is hopia mungo (mung bean), hopia baboy (winter melon), and a completely different “fluffy” cake-like variation called hopia hapon (bean filled, “hapon” means “Japanese” in Tagalog). Again, it’s simple, but therein lies the secret. Hopia ube is irresistible because of its raw pairing.
There are essentially two ingredients and as a result, your palate is left with two very distinct tastes. The ube process involves skinning and softening the raw plant much like you would if making mashed potatoes, but to revisit the “sweetening” I mentioned earlier, sugar is also added. A finer ground ube paste will taste much different than a chunky batch, it is a dish contingent on texture and—depending on personal preference—one may trigger salivation while the other may just seem awkward. The Hopia itself is a simple flour based dough. In preparation it is rolled flat and wrapped thinly around a small portion of the ube paste. It’s then baked to a slightly firmer consistency. That’s it.
Finding the perfect hopia ube is a hit and miss process; however, when you find the right one it will be worth the hard work. The last time I enjoyed it, it was flown in overnight from Manila and I didn’t share a single bite.
Does anyone know of a market/kitchen/importer in the lower mainland that carries a “GOOD” hopia ube?
Posted on January 27th, 2009
Roland Tanglao says:
yup, ube is yummy in hopia, i am eagerly awaiting the location of a good hopia ube outlet in metro vancouver!
Posted on February 1st, 2009
fmed says:
Haha! You need yourselves hooked up the the Filipino food “underground”…ask your Filipino friends if their moms or aunties sell hopia ube…that will be your best source.
Posted on May 7th, 2009
WyldCherry says:
I’m eating it right now (Hopia Ube). My mom bought a couple from the local Filipino grocery. :) It’s soo good!
Posted on November 15th, 2009
R Ferrer says:
When in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA, savor the HOPIA UBE of Casa Victoria. Baked in brick-lined oven, it has layers of thin flaky crust, much finer than pie shell crust, and velvety UBE filling. Simply delicious!
Posted on December 19th, 2009
Maria Loriadel says:
Please send me the recipe of Ube hopia, I’d like to try this christmas. thank you and merry christmas!
Posted on February 7th, 2010
Lina B. Orallo says:
Good Day! Send me a copy of the recipe, please. Want to try it this valentines. I’m sure my husband and kids will love and enjoy the ube flavor.
Posted on August 26th, 2010
E Molina says:
Try Goldilocks bakery, they have several locations. There might be one near you or you can order online. http://www.goldilocks-usa.com
Posted on September 16th, 2010
Elvira says:
I sell homemade type Ube Hopia but I am in illinois. This surely taste better than what is commercially available. It is pure heaven if you like ube! just as i do.
My aunt makes them and I just help sell them.
Posted on November 2nd, 2010
Mom of two says:
Thoughtful and interesting, thank you. I grew up in manilla but moved to america at such a young age I can hardly remember anything apart from the delicious food. I finally found some authentic Filipino recipes if you want to have a look, I thought I’d share it with you!
Posted on February 7th, 2011
mjjs says:
“hopia baboy (winter melon)” I noticed that no one brought to your attention that Baboy is pork.
Posted on March 16th, 2011
juanito see says:
ng Bee Tin Ube hopia has artificial food colors and is banned by US FDA under import alert 45-02 per web page :\
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_118.html
Posted on November 9th, 2011
u8mypinkcookies says:
It’s the best hopia! try the one from ENG BEE TIN or SALAZAR’S BAKERY. If you’re in Palawan, never miss the hopia in Bakers Hills.
Posted on October 4th, 2012
Mimie says:
Hopia Ube is my most favorite of all Hopias I’ve tasted.We usually buy it from a Filipino store in Salinas, CA. This is baked by an unknown Filipina because we don’t know her but we only buy her Hopia Ube from the store. I’m still in the process of searching for a recipe because I’ll try to bake it myself.
Posted on January 15th, 2013
Kim says:
What is the recipe for hopia ube?!?
Posted on August 19th, 2013
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