AI-generated image
Ilocos empanada
Crisp rice-flour turnovers
Empanada Ilocos: crisp orange rice-flour turnovers filled with green papaya, longganisa and a whole egg
FilipinoIn 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
- 7 oz rice flour
- 1 ¾ oz plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp annatto powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
For the filling
- 9 oz garlic pork sausages (Vigan longganisa)skins removed
- 9 oz green papayapeeled and coarsely grated
- 3 ½ oz mung bean sprouts
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 eggs
For frying and serving
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil for deep-frying
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
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).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tiyula itumBlack beef soup
Tiyula itum, 'black soup', is the pride of the Tausug people of Sulu in the far south of the Philippines, cooked for weddings, Eid celebrations and when guests come home. Beef (it is a halal, pork-free dish) is simmered with ginger, lemongrass and turmeric, then darkened with pamapa itum, a paste of grated coconut toasted until almost black and pounded with spices. The broth looks dramatic but tastes smoky, earthy and gently peppery, with heat from chillies. Serve it with plain rice. Chef's tip: toast the coconut slowly, stirring all the time, until it is very dark brown but not ashy; burnt-to-ash coconut tastes bitter and ruins the soup.
Taiwanese grilled corn
At Raohe and Shilin night markets the grilled-corn stalls are easy to find: look for the queue and the smoky, sweet smell. Cobs are par-cooked, then turned slowly over charcoal while the cook brushes them with a dark glaze of sacha sauce, thick soy paste, garlic and chilli, layer after layer, until the kernels are sticky, slightly charred and deeply savoury. It is eaten hot from a paper sleeve while walking the market. Sacha (shacha) sauce, a Taiwanese barbecue paste, usually contains dried fish and shrimp; vegetarian sacha is sold in Asian shops. Contains soy, wheat and fish. Chef's tip: brush thin coats and turn often; one thick coat burns before the corn chars.
Taiwanese
Masala khakhraCrisp roasted wheat crackers
Khakhra are thin chapaties roasted slowly on a griddle until they turn crisp, like a cracker. This masala version adds gram flour, fresh fenugreek, turmeric and chilli to the wheat dough. They are a light Gujarati breakfast or tea-time snack, and lovely with pickle, chutney or a smear of butter. You can also make them in a roti maker.
Indian