Vintage Native Recipes from the Baul: Piyaya or Pia-ya

A Piyaya is a pastry that traces it’s roots to the Southern part of the Philippines, specifically in Bacolod, Ilo-ilo and Cebu. The filling is goo-ingly sweet and savory at the same time, and the pastry is flaky and a delight to bite into. It’s a favorite pasalubong (token gift) for home-sick balikbayans (Filipino immigrants), whether they originally came from the South or not.

The person who regularly makes Piyaya at home must be either crazy or one heck of a piyaya lover. This recipe is not for the feint of heart. Piyaya lovers will probably be horrified when they read the list of ingredients. Yes folks, the pork lard is not confined to the outer covering, there is also a good helping in the filling. That’s what makes the piyaya skin flaky and scrumdiliyumtiously savory plus it gives the filling a mysterious richness. In the absence of panocha (solid muscovado sugar) dark brown sugar may be substituted but the gooey, almost smoky factor will be reduced, if not eliminated from the finished product.

Because of the abundance of very good piyayas available even in Manila (flown or floated from the South) it is rare that one would even think of making this at home. It is laborious and time consuming. Admittedly though, it makes a rare and interesting addition to your own baul, not to mention the fact that it makes a smashing conversation piece among your foreign friends and balikbayans.

In addition to the traditional piyaya, I also included a retro chocolate piyaya recipe that I made many years ago as a mad, young demonstrator in search for new tastes for a hopia manufacturer that will remain un-named. The muscovado, dark chocolate and toasted sesame seed combination is just plain sublime.

*Baul: Chest drawer

Piyaya or Piaya

Dough:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons solid pork lard (chilled but not hard and cut into pieces the size of peas)
4 – 6 tablespoons water (variable)

Roll-in Paste:
½ cup pastry flour (or substitute equal parts all purpose flour and cake flour)
4 tablespoons solid pork lard (room temperature)

Filling:
¼ cup panocha (solid muscovado sugar (not granulated)) – see above for substitute
3 – 4 teaspoons solid pork lard (chilled but not hard and chopped into little pieces)

Topping:
¼ cup pastry flour (or equal parts all purpose flour and cake flour)
2 tablespoons linga (sesame seeds – toasted lightly and then cooled)

Make dough:
Measure and sift flour. Add a pinch of salt. Place in a bowl and add the pork lard pieces. Using 2 forks, add the water a tablespoon at a time until a semi-sticky dough is formed. Dump all the contents of the bowl onto a floured work surface. Knead until smooth. Cover with a floured plastic wrap and set aside to let it “rest”.

Make the Roll-in Paste:
Measure and sift ½ cup flour. Place in a small bowl and add the pork lard. Mix to a smooth paste. Set aside until needed.

Make Filling:
Grate the panocha in a medium sized bowl. Add 3 teaspoon pork lard and mix well until combined. Add the additional 1 teaspoon pork lard if needed. Set aside.

Make topping:
Combine flour and toasted sesame seeds. Set aside.

To assemble:
1. Roll the dough into a baton shape, about 10” long. Both ends should roughly be the same diameter as the middle.
2. Using a pastry cutter, cut the logs first in the middle. Then cut each half portion in the middle. Cut each piece in half again. Flatten each piece to form a round, flat dough, measuring approximately 4” in diameter.
3. Spread about 1 teaspoon of the roll-in paste in the middle of the flattened dough. Roll like you would a jelly roll cake.
4. Flatten the rolled dough with a heavy rolling pin in a rough oval shape. Roll up the dough again like a jelly roll cake.
5. Run the rolling pin over the dough for the last time. Roll well into a rough round shape.
7. Place a generous amount of filling in the center of each flattened dough and gather the edges together to seal in the filling.
8. Flatten the piyaya gently into roughly 4” round shapes.
9. Dredge the tops in the sesame seed and flour mixture.
10. Heat a flat-bottomed, heavy frying pan. Lightly brush it with some vegetable oil. Place as much piyaya as your pan can handle, but there must be ample space in between the pieces or it won’t cook properly. When the skin is speckled with brown spots, invert using a pancake turner and do the same with the other side, pressing very gently or the filling might squoosh out.

Chocolate Piyaya

Make the above Piyaya recipe EXCEPT, use 2 tablespoons panocha and add 2 tablespoons grated dark chocolate. Substitute 3 – 4 teaspoons solid vegetable shortening for the pork lard.

Do not use a chocolate with high cocoa butter content or the filling will be too liquid to handle.

Both incarnations are delicious hot or cold but they do not keep well. Eat or give away within 24 hours.