Ilocano Empanada Recipe

A specialty from the Philippines, this flavor-packed Ilocos empanada recipe takes you on a savory adventure. Crispy with an orange outer shell, the scrumptious papaya and longganisa filling is a delightful treat in every bite.

5 from 7 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Filipino

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 30

Servings:

Calories: 697kcal

Author: Authentic Food Quest

Equipment

Ingredients

To Make The Dough

2 cups water
1 tbsp oil
½ tsp salt
4 tbsp annatto powder
1½ cups Rice flour
½ cup All-Purpose flour

To Make The Filling

2 tbsp oil
4 garlic cloves minced
½ cup red onion minced
2 cups green papaya grated
½ cup mung beans boiled
1½ tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper ground
2 cups Vigan Longganisa or pork chorizo water cooked & chopped

Instructions

Place water, oil, salt, and annatto powder in a pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
Stir in the rice flour and the all-purpose flour. Mix well until it forms a rough dough.
Remove from the heat and knead the dough for about 2 minutes. Let it cool completely.
Pour oil into a hot skillet and saute minced onions and garlic for a minute.
Add in the mung beans and green papaya and stir fry for 3 minutes.
Drizzle with soy sauce and mix well.
Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Set aside.
To assemble, divide the dough into 4 portions. Wrap each dough in a cling film or saran wrap.
Unwarp the first ball of dough and using a rolling pin roll out the empanada dough to form a large flat circle.
Spoon out 3 tbsp of the mung bean and grated papaya filling and place onto one side of the dough.
Create a well at the center of the filling.
Crack an egg and place it at the center of the savory filling. Add a tablespoon of Vigan Longganisa.
Fold the flattened dough to form a half-moon and press the edges to seal. Cut the excess dough to have a uniform shape and size.
Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
Fry the empanada in vegetable cooking oil until crispy. Drain excess oil of each cooked empanada on paper towels.
Serve hot with spiced Sukang Iloco dipping sauce.

Notes

Raw mung beans or bean sprouts can be difficult to cook on the spot as it would take hours. Soak the dry mung beans for a couple of hours and boil them together with a thumb-sized piece of ginger and ¼ cup sliced red onions. This will help infuse flavor and keep the mung beans flavorful.
It can be tricky adding the whole egg to the empanada because the egg whites will run out once you fold the dough. You can place the egg yolks instead of having the whole egg. Or, to use a whole egg, use small-sized eggs.

Nutrition

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