Bánh Pía Durian Mung Bean Pastry
Flaky, layered Sóc Trăng-style pastries wrapped around a silky mung bean and durian filling with a savory salted egg yolk in the center. Sweet, creamy, rich and crisp-edged.
- Prep
- 1 hr 22 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 33 min
- Wait
- 3 hr 35 min
- Total
- 6 hr 30 min
- Makes
- 8 pastries (about 3 inches / 7.5 cm wide each)
Steps
Before you start
- Soak the mung beans for 2 hours (step 1), so start at least 6½ hours before you want to serve. Most of that time is hands-off.
- If your durian pulp is frozen, thaw it in the fridge overnight. Remove any seeds and mash the pulp.
- Use peeled split mung beans (yellow). Whole green mung beans have skins and will give a gritty filling.
- Buy cured salted duck egg yolks, sold vacuum-packed or frozen in Asian markets. Thaw them if frozen. Duck egg yolks are poultry products, so have an instant-read thermometer ready to confirm they reach 165°F (74°C) in the finished pastry.
- Durian has a strong smell. Ventilate the kitchen and store leftover pastries in a sealed container.
Soak the mung beans
- Rinse the split mung beans in a bowl of cold water, swishing until the water runs mostly clear.
- Cover with at least 2 inches (5 cm) of fresh cold water and soak for 2 hours.
- Drain thoroughly in a sieve.
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Ready when: Beans look plump and break easily when pressed between two fingers
Tip: Don't skip the soak. Under-soaked beans stay grainy in the finished filling.
Steam the beans
- Put the drained beans in an 8-inch (20 cm) heatproof dish and stir in the ½ cup (120 ml) water.
- Set the dish on a rack in a steamer over boiling water, cover, and steam over high heat for 30 minutes.
- Top up the pot with boiling water if it runs low.
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Ready when: Beans crush to a smooth paste with no hard center when pressed with a spoon
Tip: If a few beans are still firm, steam 5 minutes more.
Cook the filling
- Mash the hot beans and any liquid in the dish with a potato masher until mostly smooth (or pulse in a food processor).
- Transfer to a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add the durian pulp, sugar, salt, and oil.
- Stir constantly with a spatula for 15 to 20 minutes, scraping the bottom, until the paste thickens, looks glossy, and pulls away from the sides of the pan as one mass.
- You should have about 600 g (1⅓ lb).
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Ready when: A spatula dragged across the pan leaves a clear trail, and the paste holds its shape in a mound and is not sticky when touched with a clean finger
Tip: Stir without pausing, since the sugar and durian scorch quickly. Wet filling will leak and make the pastry soggy, so cook it until it is quite dry.
Cool and portion filling
- Spread the filling on a plate and let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Weigh it into 8 portions of about 75 g (2⅔ oz) each and roll into smooth balls.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel.
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Ready when: Filling is no longer warm and holds a ball shape without sticking to your hands
Tip: Lightly oil your palms if the filling sticks. If it's still soft, chill 15 minutes.
Bake the salted yolksOven 350°F / 175°C
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Place the 8 yolk halves on a small parchment-lined tray and brush with the rice wine.
- Bake for 8 minutes, then remove and let cool.
- This firms them and mellows the raw smell.
- They will be cooked through to a safe temperature in the final bake.
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Ready when: Yolks look dry on the surface and feel firm when pressed
Tip: Leave the oven on for the final bake after the pastries are shaped.
Make both doughs
- Water dough: In a medium bowl, mix the 200 g flour with the 15 g sugar.
- Rub in the 50 g shortening, then add the 90 ml warm water and stir to a shaggy dough.
- Knead on the counter for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Cover and rest.
- Oil dough: In another bowl, rub the 110 g flour with the 60 g shortening until it forms a soft, smooth paste-like dough.
- Cover.
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Ready when: Water dough is smooth and springs back slowly when poked; oil dough is soft and holds together without crumbling
Tip: If the water dough feels stiff, wet your hands and knead for 1 more minute rather than adding more water.
Divide the doughs
- Divide the rested water dough into 8 pieces of about 44 g each and the oil dough into 8 pieces of about 21 g each.
- Roll each into a ball.
- Keep them covered with a damp towel so they don't dry out.
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Ready when: You have 8 larger water dough balls and 8 smaller oil dough balls
Tip: Use a scale. Even pieces bake evenly and make uniform layers.
Laminate the layers
- Flatten one water dough ball into a 3-inch (7.5 cm) disc, place an oil dough ball in the center, and pinch the edges closed to enclose it.
- Roll out into a 4×8-inch (10×20 cm) oval.
- Roll up tightly from the short end like a jelly roll, turn it 90 degrees, and roll out again to a similar oval.
- Roll up tightly again into a short spiral log.
- Repeat with the rest.
- Cover and rest 10 minutes.
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Ready when: Cut ends show clear spiral layers and the dough is soft and not springing back
Tip: Roll gently and avoid flour on the surface. Too much flour stops the layers from sealing.
Fill and shape
- Stand each dough log on its end and press down into a 4-inch (10 cm) disc with the spiral side facing out.
- Place a filling ball in the center, press a yolk half into the top, and gather the dough up around the filling.
- Pinch the seam tightly and place it seam side down.
- Gently flatten into a disc about 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide and 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
- Set on the parchment-lined baking sheet 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
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Ready when: Each disc is smooth with no cracks, filling not showing, and seam fully sealed
Tip: Roll the dough border a bit thinner than the center so there is no thick, doughy ring at the seam.
Egg wash and bakeOven 350°F / 175°C
- Make sure the oven is at 350°F (175°C).
- Whisk the egg yolk with the 1 teaspoon water and brush lightly over the tops of the pastries.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then carefully flip each pastry with a spatula and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Check the center: slide an instant-read thermometer in from the side of one pastry to the middle, where the yolk sits.
- It must read at least 165°F (74°C).
- If not, bake 3 to 5 minutes more and check again.
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Ready when: Both sides are pale golden with a dry, crisp-feeling surface, the layers are visible at the edges, and the center reads at least 165°F (74°C)
Tip: Don't let them brown dark. The dough should stay pale and flaky, and overbaking dries the filling. If the tops color too fast, tent loosely with foil.
Cool before serving
- Transfer the pastries to a wire rack and cool for 25 minutes.
- They will crisp as they cool and the filling will set so it slices cleanly.
- Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.
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Ready when: Pastries feel firm and no longer soft when pressed gently on the sides
Tip: Cutting too soon makes the filling smear and the layers collapse.
Good to know
Tips
- Weigh the dough and filling pieces for even size and consistent baking.
- A dry, thick filling is the key to crisp layers. If the paste leaves a wet trail on the pan, keep stirring.
- Keep the dough covered while working, because dry skin on the dough will crack when rolled.
- Keep durian pastries well sealed in the fridge so they do not scent other foods.
Make ahead
The filling can be cooked, shaped, and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead. Unbaked, shaped pastries (without egg wash) can be frozen on a tray, then bagged for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen at 350°F (175°C) for about 10 minutes longer, and confirm the center reaches 165°F (74°C).
Storage & reheating
Room temperature in an airtight container: up to 2 days. Refrigerator: up to 5 days. Freezer: up to 2 months, wrapped individually. Reheat refrigerated pastries at 300°F (150°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or frozen ones for 15 minutes, to re-crisp the crust and heat the center to 165°F (74°C).
Substitutions
- durian pulp → Extra mung bean paste (add 75 g more beans) or mashed taro. Gives a non-durian version. Add 1 tbsp more sugar if using taro.
- vegetable shortening → Cold unsalted butter or lard. Butter gives a richer flavor but a slightly less flaky texture. Lard gives the most traditional flakiness.
- Shaoxing wine or rice wine → Vodka or dry sherry. Used only to flavor the yolks and mask the raw smell.
- cured salted duck egg yolks → Omit the yolks. The pastry will be sweet only. Use 10 g extra filling to keep the shape.