Empanada (pinoy street food '5')

Like in many Spanish-speaking countries, empanada is popular in the Philippines. Fillings vary greatly but Filipino empanadas often contain ground meat (beef, pork, or chicken), potatoes, onions, carrots, peas, and raisins wrapped in dough that’s either baked or fried.

I’m not sure if empanada is commonly sold as street food in Manila, but in Vigan, which is home to arguably the most famous type of Filipino empanada, it definitely is. Unlike other varieties, Vigan empanadas are orange in color and much bigger. It gets its color from achuete or annatto seeds which is the same ingredient used to color kwek kwek and tokneneng. Vigan empanadas are also deep-fried, resulting in a crispy shell-like dough that’s very different from the soft, semi-sweet dough used in other types of Filipino empanadas.

Fillings vary but Vigan empanadas typically contain grated green papaya, mung bean sprouts, shredded carrots, skinless Vigan longganisa (Filipino sausage), and a whole egg. As you’ll see in the video towards the bottom of this post, the monster Vigan empanada we had was made with two eggs. Like Vigan ukoy, empanadas are typically served with a spiced vinegar dip to help offset the oiliness.

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Until a few years ago, you had to go all the way to Vigan to enjoy this type of empanada. Thankfully, it’s become more widely available in Manila in recent years. You can find it at some food park stalls and small restaurant chains specializing in Vigan empanada

Kindly visit also my other articles about pinoy street food.

https://read.cash/@moneymakinghub/balut-pinoy-street-food-1-d402889d

https://read.cash/@moneymakinghub/buko-pinoy-street-food-2-c329c3fa

https://read.cash/@moneymakinghub/banana-q-kamote-q-pinoy-street-food-3-cd0813ec

https://read.cash/@moneymakinghub/chicharon-bulaklak-inihaw-ad87d4c7

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