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Ilocos empanada
Empanada Ilocos: crisp orange rice-flour turnovers filled with green papaya, longganisa and a whole egg
In Batac and Vigan, in the Ilocos region, empanada is not a baked pastry but a big, crunchy, bright-orange turnover fried to order at night markets and by the plaza. The thin rice-flour crust gets its colour from annatto, and inside goes shredded green papaya, mung bean sprouts, crumbled Vigan longganisa (a garlicky pork sausage) and a whole egg. Vendors fold it in seconds and slide it into hot oil, then hand it over with a little bowl of spiced sugarcane vinegar to pour in with every bite. It is a pork snack for evenings out. Chef's tip: roll the dough very thin on a banana leaf or baking paper; the leaf lets you flip the dough over the filling without tearing it.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
For frying and serving
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 7 oz rice flour, 1 ¾ oz plain flour, 1 ½ tsp annatto powder and ½ tsp salt. Stir in 1 cup warm water and 1 tbsp vegetable oil and knead for 3 minutes into a smooth, soft, orange dough. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
20 minStep 2: Fry 9 oz garlic pork sausages (Vigan longganisa) in a dry pan over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through with no pink (160°F). Drain on kitchen paper.
10 minStep 3: Squeeze 9 oz green papaya hard in a clean cloth to remove its juice, then mix with 3 ½ oz mung bean sprouts and ¼ tsp salt.
5 minStep 4: Divide the dough into 4. Roll each piece out on oiled baking paper or a banana leaf into a 20 cm circle about 2 mm thick.
10 minStep 5: On one half of a circle, spread a quarter of the papaya mix, make a well, and top with a quarter of the sausage. Crack one of the 4 eggs into the well. Using the paper, flip the empty half over and press the edges firmly to seal; trim with a saucer for a neat half-moon. A common mistake is overfilling, which makes the egg leak and the oil spit.
10 minStep 6: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil for deep-frying in a wide, deep pan, no more than a third full, to 350°F. Keep children and pets away. Slide in one empanada, away from you, and fry for 4–5 minutes, spooning oil over the top and turning once, until crisp and deep orange. The egg cooks inside: fry for 6 minutes if you want the yolk fully set, which is advisable for young children, older people and pregnant women.
24 minStep 7: Drain on a rack and serve hot. Let everyone cut a slit in the top and spoon in a little ½ cup sugarcane vinegar (sukang Iloco) with garlic and chilli.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ilocos empanada take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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