Taste Test: Eng Bee Tin's New Hopia Goes Savory With Sisig

(SPOT.ph) You know Chinese New Year is just around the corner when red paper lanterns sway above our streets, supermarket aisles overflow with boxes of tikoy and round fruits, and Eng Bee Tin rolls out its latest flavors to ring in the Lunar New Year. This year, in celebration of the Year of the Wooden Snake, Eng Bee Tin has unveiled a savory twist on their classic hopia that is inspired by the smoky, tangy, and undeniably well-loved Filipino dish (both by locals and foreigners): sisig.

In this edition of Taste Test, we’re sinking our teeth into Eng Bee Tin’s bold new creation to find out if this savory fusion is just as lovable in hopia form—and without the mountain of white rice.

Also read: Scrumptious and Suwerte-Giving Gifts for Chinese New Year That Are Not Tikoy

A Taste Test of Eng Bee Tin's new Hopia Sisig

Eng Bee Tin launches new flavors whenever Chinese New Year is approaching—and it's more evident with the tikoy flavors. If you can recall, Eng Bee Tin came out with Mango Sticky Rice Tikoy, Peanut Sesame Tikoy, and even Cheese Tikoy for the past years; these are still available. This year, the Chinese deli has come out with a bunch of new items for Chinese New Year, including the Creamy Latte Tikoy and the subject of our Taste Test, the Hopia Sisig.

The Hopia Sisig is a novel addition to Eng Bee Tin's line of hopia, which includes well-loved classic flavors like those stuffed with mongo, ube, kondol, and sweet custard. Based on their current hopia offerings, the Hopia Sisig is the most savory of them all.

Also read: Add This to Your Binondo Eats: Eng Bee Tin Now Has Fried Xiao Long Bao

What does Eng Bee Tin's new Hopia Sisig taste like?

If you're expecting actual sisig inside hopia, then I'm sorry to tell you the Hopia Sisig's filling is more like a dried, coarse paste. Its texture is mushy and smooth and it has the same dark brown-purple tinge of raisin. Meanwhile, the taste is savory with an interesting tanginess to it. I'm reminded of siopao asado (steamed buns filled with braised pork and a sweet and savory sauce).

Yes, the tanginess is interesting but it's also not surprising as we all know citrus brightens up a dish, and it's crucial to fatty dishes like sisig. True enough, the Eng Bee Tin Hopia Sisig packaging lists Calamansi Extract and Vinegar as seventh and ninth, respectively, in its list of ingredients. FYI: Ingredients are typically arranged in descending order by weight, with the most abundant listed first and the least abundant last.

Per the ingredients list, the Hopia Sisig also has dried meat (the tenth listed ingredient). These are small jerky-like pieces that can be a chore to chew and might need a bit of jaw strength and endurance. This is my least favorite part of the savory hopia as I hoped there'd be bigger bits or slices; instead, we are served what looks like scraps.

As for the hopia's crust, it reminded me of a neighborhood panaderia's hopia baboy. The crust is thick—almost bread-like—and its outermost layer has a shiny film-like layer that crumbles to the touch. It is messier to eat compared to the other Eng Bee Tin hopia crusts (e.g. that of Custard Hopia). 

Also read: WATCH: Binondo Food Trip Guide With a Budget

Should you buy Eng Bee Tin's new Hopia Sisig?

Eng Bee Tin's Hopia Sisig is an acquired taste, but if you love the dish in all forms, then I highly doubt you wouldn't like or love this. I'm not a huge sisig fan myself but I don't regret finishing a pack.

Tip: You just need to manage your expectations as Eng Bee Tin's Hopia Sisig does not have actual sisig inside nor does the stuffing look anything like sisig. But—and it's a good but—it does fulfill the promise of tasting like sisig that's doused in calamansi. 

For obvious reasons, we won't judge you if you let your intrusive thoughts win and pair it with rice. We had the same thoughts, too. After all, Eng Bee Tin explicitly markets the Hopia Sisig as "pang-ulam" material, and you know what? Let me just buy another pack of Hopia Sisig and get the rice cooker going. 

Also read: The Day Ambeth Ocampo Toured Us Around Jose Rizal's Binondo

Where can you buy Eng Bee Tin's new Hopia Sisig?

Eng Bee Tin's Hopia Sisig costs P75 per pack, and each pack has four pieces. This is currently available in all Eng Bee Tin stores. You can check the branch locator to see where the nearest store is—or you can also order for delivery via Ube Delivery, Shopee, and Lazada.

For more information, check out Eng Bee Tin's Facebook page.

Also read: Heritage, History, and Coffee Come Together at This Quiet Binondo Café

Hey, Spotters! Check us out on Viber to join our Community and subscribe to our Chatbot.