Empanada Recipe-Crispy Filipino Style

My previous work in an organization, requires me to research and teach micro-entrepreneurs strategies to increase their household income. Based on a survey that I conducted to all of the organization's branches, I have seen significant of micro-entrepreneurs would want to learn how to make empanada.

That time, I can't find a resource person to conduct an "Empanada-making Livelihood Seminar". So I did it on my own. I researched for the most effective and most basic recipe I can find online and offline. 

Below is the recipe I used and taught several microentrepreneurs during my "empanada making livelihood seminars" . This recipe will yield a tasty-crispy empanada. 

 I hope this recipe will work for you too.  

Filling Ingredients:

½ kg pork, minced

1 pc onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tbsp oil

1/8 cup water

½ cup carrots, diced

½ cup potato, diced

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup frozen peas,thawed

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp paprika powder

 Pastry Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

¼ tsp baking powder

6 tbsp vegetable shortening or (butter/margarine/oil)

1 egg, beaten

1-2 tbsp water

Preparing the Empanada Filling: 

1. Saute onion and garlic. Add in meat, pork broth cubes (meat enhancer), salt and pepper. Mix well all ingredients.  Stir and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Add carrots, potato and water. Bring water to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add sugar, paprika powder, raisins and peas. Mix all ingredients well and adjust taste as desired. Simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce almost dry.  Set aside and let it cool down.

Preparing the pastry:

1. Mix flour, salt, sugar and baking powder together. Afterwards, incorporate shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. Add egg and water to the flour mixture. ( Note: Add water gradually to the mixture, about  ½ tbsp at a time.) Mix all ingredients until you attain soft and smooth dough. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Molding the Empanada

1. Divide dough to 12 pcs and make dough balls. Flatten dough to 0.5cm using rolling pin .

2. Put 2-3 tbsp fillings on the flatten dough then fold by half. Merge and press edges using fingers or a fork.  

3. Fry empanada in medium heat vegetable oil. Fry until golden brown and serve empanada in a tray lined with kitchen paper towel.

*****
One year after posting this empanada recipe. I used it again to make some merienda  for my friends, who visited our house. 
This time, I made a short cut on preparing the fillings. I wanted to make empanada as quick as possible so, I prepared only two flavors using canned goods--- tuna and corned beef as empanada fillings. 

Preparing the Filling
I sauteed  onion, garlic and tuna/corned beef. Then add carrots, potato, raisins and peas. Simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce almost dry.  Set aside and let it cool down.

Processes of preparing the pastry, molding and cooking the empanada is still the same.