I have never been to Ilocos but I was able to try one of their delicacies, the Ilocos empanada. The first time I experienced it is in Ortigas. I remember I was walking that time when I saw a small cart with the name “Empanada ng Ilocos”. Out of curiosity I stop there and bought one to taste it. I was surprised when I found out that the empanada I ate has an egg and at the same time I never forget the unique taste of it because of the black vinegar.
Wikipedia states that, the word “empanada” is derived from the Galician, Portuguese and Spanish verb “empanar” which means to wrap or coat in bread. It is a kind of food that is made by folding dough which usually consists of variety of meat. In Brazil, “empanada” is called “pastel”. Here in the Philippines Ilocanos have their own version of empanada.
There are two kinds of Ilocos empanada: the Vigan empanada in Ilocos Sur and Batac or Laog empanada in Ilocos Norte. The ingredients of the two varieties are the same but they have different thickness of crust. The Vigan empanada has thinner crust and most of the time this is what people preferred.
The basic ingredients of Ilocos empanada are rice flour egg, mongo sprout or parboiled mango, green papaya, and it can also have a longanisa. Chayote can be a substitute for green papaya. It is better to make the rice flour for the dough of empanada a day before cooking it and this dough has an atsuete, salt and oil. Black vinegar should be always included as part of the ingredients and it is usually put in empanada after it was cooked.
According to my friends who have been in Vigan, venture in that place will never be complete without trying their prominent empanada. Aside from exploring that place, tourists from different places come over there just to experience their empanada. In Manila, it is rare to find Ilocos empanada. There are only few stalls here unlike in Ilocos, all markets and plazas have stalls of that food. Many people told me that Vigan is really a nice place and it is also my aim to visit that place. I hope you can also taste the unique Ilocos empanada even if you have never been in Vigan.
