I may be biased, but I think the Philippines has the best yellow mangoes; they’re butter-soft, very sweet, and not as fibrous as their other mango counterparts. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks this because I learned that the yellow “carabao” mangoes of the Philippines are recognized as the sweetest in the Guinness Book of Records. So, naturally, there’s bound to be a mango pie in the Philippines, although I’m not sure why the pie also includes peaches.
Here in the Philippines, you’ll barely find fresh peaches at the market or in anyone’s backyard, and your best bet will be those in cans with sweet syrup. Yet, the pairing of mango and peaches just makes sense. And if you put them inside a pie dough and then deep fry them, you can’t lose. I’m not sure who invented this recipe, but most likely, Jollibee, the leading fast-food chain in the Philippines, has something to do with it. As a kid, peach mango pies were my favorite thing to order from Jollibee’s menu. They also have another flavor (banana pandan I think?) but it didn’t come close to the famous peach mango pie.
This vegan version is not a deviation. And if I may say so (because, once again, I am biased), it’s pretty darn close to the original. To veganize, I omitted eggs and cow’s milk and used vegan butter instead of regular butter. But make sure you use hard butter, not the easily spreadable one. Another option is to use vegan shortening. As for the rest of the procedure, follow the golden rule to achieve the best flaky pie crust: the dough ingredients must be cold.
Keeping things cold could prove tricky and challenging, considering the temperatures here in the Philippines are hot and humid. You can sweat even if you’re completely at a standstill, so imagine if you’re cooking next to a hot stove or oven. So, people who live here usually have a separate kitchen outside of their house that’s open air with a roof. We call it the “dirty kitchen.” I presume because it’s actually where you cook and make a mess instead of the pretend one inside the house. I remember ours when I was growing up in Bacoor Cavite. Our “pretend” kitchen became the dining area, and the dining area became the study room where we would do our homework. Now, I have my own place and rent a condo unit.
To remedy the hot kitchen conundrum at my place, I would turn on my air conditioner. Also, I would put all my dough ingredients inside the fridge before using them, including the flour, and I always use ice water to mix it in. Of course, using aircon seems excessive (especially on my electricity bill), but at least I don’t have to turn on the oven because these hand pies need to be fried. Well, I wouldn’t say “need” because you can totally bake them, but it won’t be the same, and you will be left disappointed and sad, especially if you have already tried the original pies and know what it’s supposed to taste like. So, consider yourself warned. The sinful version is better.
Aside from the baking option, you also have other ways to customize this vegan peach mango pie recipe. You can add more sugar, especially if your fruits aren’t that sweet, perhaps because you live abroad and can’t find Philippine mangoes. Or you can use other sweeteners, like maple syrup, agave syrup, coconut sugar, coconut nectar, dates sugar, and more. Or you can use different fruits altogether. Who says you can’t make this into a fried blueberry hand pie?
As for seasoning the filling, I use cinnamon and vanilla extract, but you can also add nutmeg and other spices you would find suitable for your fruit combo. Speaking of filling, you can also customize the texture. If you want a firmer bite, only cook until the sugar melts and the cornstarch becomes pasty. But if you want a softer, custardy texture, then by all means, cook the fruits down until the texture is more like a jam. Lastly, you can shape your hand pies however you’d like. Some have tried the empanada shape. Or, if you’re going to bake this, you can use a pie pan. But, I prefer to stick to the nostalgic shape of Jollibee’s that’s identical to the pop tart shape (which made me think, maybe you can also put these in the toaster oven?)
FOR THE PIE DOUGH:- 2½ cups of all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon sea slat
- 2 tablespoons natural sugar
- a cup of vegan hard butter, cut into cubes
- ¾ cup ice water
FOR THE FILLING:- 3 yellow mangoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 (15 ounces) yellow peaches in can
- ¼ cup natural sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- pinch of sea salt
- dash of cinnamon
- dash of vanilla extract
- one tablespoon cornstarch mixed in one tablespoon water
PREPARE THE PIE DOUGH:
- In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse for a few seconds.
- Mix in the hard butter
- Turn on the processor to low and while running, on a gentle stream, pour the cold water until the dough becomes tiny crumbles but when you squeeze, they stick together. If they don't stick, add one tablespoon of ice water at a time while you pulse. Do not overwork.
- Transfer dough to a counter and squeeze and compress into one mass.
- Using a rolling pin, flatten to a disk.
- Wrap using a plastic wrap or put in a silicone bag. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
TO COOK THE FILLING:
- Without turning on the stove, combine the peaches, mangoes, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and the cornstarch mixture.
- Turn on the stove and cook over low heat until the filling becomes thick like a paste.
- Remove from heat and let it cool down to room temperature.
TO ASSEMBLE:
- Remove the dough from the fridge and cut into 8-10 pieces.
- Dust your counter and rolling pin lightly with flour.
- Using your rolling pin, flatten each dough into a ½-inch thin rectangles.
- Scoop two tablespoons of the filling and place just right below the center of the dough.
- Fold over and press down the edges. If needed, cut out excess edges so you'll have a perfect rectangle. You can use the excess dough to assemble more pies.
- Further seal the edges by pressing down with a fork.
- Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, storing the finished ones in the freezer while you work to keep them cold.
TO FRY:
- Heat about two inches of cooking oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.
- You can test if the oil is ready by frying a small piece of dough. If it bubbles right away, the oil is ready for frying.
- Fry in batches to not overcrowd the pot and fry until all sides are golden brown.
- Transfer to a strainer to remove excess oil and serve hot.
TO BAKE:
- Preheat oven to 350F and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Refrigerate the flour before using.
- Use hard vegan butter instead of the easily spreadable one. If you can't find hard butter, use vegan shortening.
- You can add more sugar to your filling to adjust to your liking. You can also use preferred sweetener like maple syrup, coconut nectar, and more.
-You can add other seasoning to the filling like ground nutmeg and ground ginger.
- If you're having a hard time sealing the edges of the pie, wet the edges with some water.
- If you have a hot or warm kitchen, refrigerate or even freeze your hand pies right before frying.
-You can serve hand pies with vanilla ice cream.
Before you think deja vu is real, I confess that I already previously posted about peach mango pie in this blog. However, it’s not as detailed as this version. But I do have to say that the previous post mentioned something about serving ala mode, which is not a bad idea, so I would still highly recommend it. Just keep the ice cream flavor simple, though, like vanilla, so it won’t compete with the filling, which is the best-tasting yellow mangoes in the world.