Experience Ilocano Cuisine with Empanada Nation

It’s always a must do when we visit Ilocos, Vigan and Pangasinan to try their Empanada, Bagnet, Igado and Pinakbet. But of course it is to expensive to travel that almost six-eight hours just to try their dishes that we all love especially the freshness of their ingredients and the way they prepare it. For a person who grew in a family that has Ilocano blood (mother side), vegetables like saluyot, labong and other vegetables and even bagoong became part of my daily meal at home. But of course for those who wanted to try Ilocano cuisine which in my case I wanted to explore more of what my grand mother and mother can cook and luckily there was Empanada Nation located at the Sgt. Esguera street in Quezon City which is few blocks away from ABS-CBN and GMA 7.

Empana Nation is owned by cousins who were both had Ilocano roots namely O’Brien Pangan, Venice Marie Velasco and Juan Carlos Gil. The one in Sgt Esquerra Street was their third branch, the first was in Roses Avenue corner Sct Tuazon in Quezon City and the second one is in Pearl Drive in Ortigas. Most of their products such as bagnet and longanisa are delivered from Laoag City in Ilocos Norte that makes all their meals are authentic Ilocano dishes. Here are the some dishes that Empanada Nation offers that is easy on the budget but heavy on the stomach of those wanting to explore the Ilocano cuisine.

Crispy fried pork intestine that serves as appetizer in Empanada Nation which served with spicy sukang Ilocos (Ilocos Viniger) that has distinctive alcohol smell which is not that sour unlike the commercialize vinegar.

It is also known as compete bagnet and longanisa meal of Empanada Nation that goes with salted egg (red egg), fried rice, KBL (kamatis, bagoong and lasona or onion). KBL brings out the goodness of bagnet and longanisa that brings out the perfect blend of salty and sweet flavor.

It looks like bopis in other regions but instead the pork entrails where not chopped into tiny bits with sour taste, instead the meat that also includes liver and other inner parts of the pork is cooked with belt pepper, ginger, onion and garlic to bring out the sweet aroma of the pork. Usually in some Ilocos regions it was cooked until the sauce is dry.

It is grilled pork meat and liver cut to strips and served with tomatoes and onion with vinegar on it. I don’t each liver that much because of the texture but I can still enjoy the tender grilled pork strips that are good with fried rice that has longanisang Ilocos bits in it.

For those Manileños the name given to a sautéed eggplant with onion, tomato and egg can be funny but its taste and aroma gives a very appetizing and best partnered with grilled or fried pork or fish.

It will never be an Ilocano restaurant if they don’t serve my favorite pinakbet. It is a vegetable based dish that has tomatoes, string beans, eggplant, ampalaya, okra and cooked with pork and bagoong.

This famous delicacies found in Ilocos regions is known for the orange color because of the achuete mixed in the dough that will carry the fillings inside it. What I like with the empanadang Ilocos is that it has rich ingredients inside it including bean sprouts, whole egg, longanisang Ilocos, papaya, onions, and garlic. It is best eaten with vinegar and for others with catsup. But I like it with vinegar especially when it is still hot.

Empanada Nation serves authentic Ilocano dishes with fresh ingredients delivered from Ilocos regions and cooked by Ilocano themselves. Aside from that it was a dream by cousins who just want to share the exciting flavors of the cuisine they grew with and wanted to share it with food loving Manileños who may or may not have Ilocano roots.

For more photos of Empanada Nation click here.

Empanada Nation

Address: Sgt Esguera St., Quezon City beside JT’s Manikan

Email Address: empanadailocos@yahoo.com

Phone Number: 922.2743