Super flaky and wholesome empanadas
Every former Spanish colony has their version of empanada, which consists of some flat dough folded over some filling. Filipino empanadas are pedestrian. They are easy to find all over the Philippines but it is difficult to find a memorable one.
Super Bakers stands out for its unique dough. Empanadas are traditionally made with a pie dough. The ingenious twist from Super Bakers is to use hopia dough. This results in a short and flaky crust. It’s best enjoyed fresh from their bakery, even though they supply to other businesses in the city.
Chinese-Filipino heritage of hopia
Hopia (好饼, literally good biscuit) has its origins in Fujian province in southern China. It was brought over to the Philippines by Fujianese migrants over a century ago. This sort of pastry is common in Southern China but isn’t called hopia. In fact, it doesn’t have a standard name. The name “hopia” probably derives from a category of confections, hipia (喜饼, literally wedding biscuit), of which hopia is one of them.
Whether in China or Philippines or Southeast Asia, the form is instantly recognizable: a palm-sized disc with sweet fillings inside. The dough is pale brown and flakey like French puff pastry, but without butter. It also crumbles more easily.
The difference with the Filipino adaption is in the filling. While mung beans are still the most popular filling in China and Philippines, a uniquely Filipino filling is ube (purple yam). Baboy (pork) is also common in the Philippines, but not so much in China.