Vigan Street Cart · Orange-Crust Turnover
Ilocos Empanada
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The crust's bright orange color has nothing to do with the filling — it comes from annatto seeds worked into the rice-flour dough itself, before anything is even wrapped inside.
A thin, rice-flour dough tinted orange with annatto is filled with grated green papaya, egg, and a piece of Vigan longganisa, folded shut, and deep-fried to order in a wide wok. Vigan's Plaza Burgos food stalls fry them fresh as diners wait, handing them over piping hot on a paper plate.
Why it's made this way: The annatto-dyed dough and papaya filling are specific to Ilocos Sur's version of empanada, distinguishing it from the wheat-flour empanadas found in other Filipino regions and giving Vigan's street food row its signature color and smell.
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