Hopia, like tikoy pudding, are evidence of the Chinese diaspora in the Philippines. First made in that country by Fujianese immigrants at the turn of the previous century, these small cakes covered in flaky dough, and usually filled with sweetened paste, can now be found in Chinatowns worldwide.
Today it's possible to procure a commercially packaged, newfangled "combi" that pairs purple yam and jackfruit. Buy a five-pack baked in New York, however, and you're more likely to taste mung beans. These hopia mongo (7 oz. total, $3), as they're labeled in smallish type, also offer another old-time touch: They're fattened with lard.
Kong Wah Bakery (previously Kwong Wah Cake Company)
210 Grand St. (Mott-Elizabeth Sts.), Manhattan
212-343-2505
