Empanada Ilocos
Empanada ng Ilocos
Ilocos empanada—crisp orange rice-flour shells filled with longganisa, bean sprouts, egg, and papaya; the Vigan street food fried golden and eaten with...
Serves 8 · 1h 40m total
The Story
Empanada in Ilocos is not the baked Spanish kind—it is a loud, orange, rice-flour half-moon fried until the crust shatters, like the pair in the photo: deep annatto color, bubbled and crisp at the edges, sealed with a thick crimp.
Vigan and Batac versions pile grated papaya, bean sprouts, Ilocano longganisa, and egg inside before deep-frying. The dough gets its color from achuete oil; the filling cooks fast on a griddle, then the empanada goes into hot oil until it sounds hollow when tapped.
Serve them whole and hot with spiced vinegar in a small bowl—garlic, chili, and cane vinegar that bites. Making them at home is project cooking; eating them standing up at the plaza is the only proper way.
Best paired with
Spiced vinegar with garlic and chili, and cold soda or calamansi juice.
Use it in these KusinaPH recipes
Lola's Tips
- ✦Squeeze grated papaya dry or the empanada will burst in the oil.
- ✦Seal edges well—rice dough is fragile when overfilled.
- ✦Achuete oil is what gives authentic Ilocos color; do not skip.
- ✦Fillings can be prepped ahead; fry only when ready to eat.
- ✦Vigan-style vinegar dip: cane vinegar, garlic, chili, and a pinch of salt.
Substitutions
- Ilocano longganisa → any garlicky pork longganisa
- rice flour → glutinous rice flour blend sold for empanada
- green papaya → carrots, grated fine
Ingredients
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Instructions
- 1
Mix rice flour, AP flour, salt, achuete oil, and warm water into a soft orange dough; rest 30 minutes covered.
- 2
Sauté longganisa with onion and garlic until cooked; set aside. Blanch toge 1 minute; drain.
- 3
Divide dough into balls; roll thin ovals on oiled surface. On one half, layer papaya, toge, longganisa, and egg strip.
- 4
Fold over; crimp edges tightly with a fork so filling cannot escape.
- 5
Deep-fry in hot oil 4–5 minutes per side until deep orange and crisp. Drain. Serve with vinegar.
Kitchen Timer · 60 min prep first
40:00
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