Vigan Empanada and Ukoy

Vigan Empanada and Ukoy
Vigan empanada and ukoy are the famous local street food of Vigan.

For those who are planning to visit Vigan, Original Vigan empanada and ukoy two of the must eat foods while in this rustic city. Empanada and ukoy are made and cooked right before your eyes and served crispy fresh off the wok at several empanada stalls under the Vigan Cathedral bell tower at Burgos Plaza. It is served with a dipping mixture of vinegar (sukang Iloco) , onions (lasona) and sili. Empanada and ukoy are best eaten right away while it is still crispy, it turn soggy quickly.

Vigan Empanada at Ukoy

Experience eating under the bell tower, with the back draft noise of scooters and tricycles and the clacking sound of kalesa all this provide the appropriate streetfood ambience for enjoying this local crispy delight of Vigan.

Vigan empanada is made from a freshly-rolled galapong (rice-flour dough) into thin flat crust, filled with a mixture of grated green papaya, carrots, boiled monggo and togue and folded to form a soft shell shaped like a crescent. It is then deep-fried in a large wok until the crust turns into a crispy shell. The special version is filled with all the same ingredients of the regular empanada, and in addition topped with the equally famous Vigan longganisa (it is called langonisa) and an egg.

Ukoy is made from a batter of galapong topped with onions and shrimps, deep fried into large crispy fritters.

Mac’s Deli Original Vigan Empanada and Ukoy stall
at SM Mall of Asia
Mac’s Deli Original Vigan Empanada and Ukoy stall
at SM Mall of Asia

If you are craving for Vigan empanada and ukoy, and you are from Metro Manila you don’t need to travel anymore to Vigan. You can have them at Mac’s Deli Original Vigan Empanada and Ukoy stalls at Tiendesitas and SM Mall of Asia. Or try the orange colored (Laoag) version, these can be found at some malls in Metro Manila and are being sold in food cart as Ilocos taco. I have seen them at Glorieta food court and Market Market at Fort Bonifacio.

See related Vigan empanada recipe;

Vigan Empanada

See other related post on:

Vigan Empanada
Batac Empanada

Comments

  1. I have met the true authentic original makers of Vigan empanada. Their great great grandparents started making the empanadas long time before it was commercialized. The 4th generation family moved to Sacramento years ago. The people who are in the Philippines claiming to be "original" are false. I have pictures of the original vigan empanada makers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The term original on this post means original from Vigan. This version of empanada is only unique to Vigan and it is only right to call it original Vigan empanada. I thank and welcome anonymous for the comment. How ever I disagree that a famous unique dish from a place can be claimed by individuals. I believe that a dish unique to a place (from adobo to the Pinoy spaghetti) is a product of the people of the place and is constantly evolving to adapt to circumstances of the changing time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. anonymous
    That's our family,my mother said that my great grandparents went to Laoag to sell empanada and temporarily resided there.I believe it must have been the 1920's. In fact my grandmother was born in laoag. Eventually they moved back to Vigan. Some of our relatives are those empanada maker in the vigan

    ReplyDelete
  4. Please visit http://viganempanada.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  5. where is the exact location of Mac's at sm mall of asia?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Reya,
    Their kiosk is located along the southwalkway at the southwing (SM department store side) of MOA.

    ReplyDelete
  7. agree....Mac's Deli "Original" Vigan Empanada at SM Moa, Tiendesitas and Cash & Carry is the best!!!!..no need to go to Vigan...it's here in Manila already.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for visiting!
You Like the post?
Have anything to say or share?
What's in your mind?
Place your comment or reaction now.

Don't forget to write your name...

Popular posts from this blog

Special Vigan Royal Bibingka

Nilagang Saging na Saba, Nilagang Saba

Adobo sa Asin, Adobong Baboy sa Asin Recipe