FILIPINO PANSIT CANTON

What is Pancit Canton?

Pancit noodles is a popular Filipino dish of Chinese origin. It is made of dried flour noodles and at first glance, one may conflate it with chow mein, but major differences between the two dishes are its method of preparation and ingredients.

:it is a type of Lo Mein or tossed noodles known as flour sticks. This dish is often served during birthdays and special occasions to symbolize long life. It is prepared using a variety of ingredients, which makes it look festive. There is also a combination of different flavors that make it delicious.

How to Cook Pancit Canton

I started by preparing the vegetables. Blanch the snap peas, carrot, and cabbage. Blanching is a cooking method that retains the texture and color of vegetables. Do this by first preparing a large bowl that can accomodate all the vegetables. Fill half of it with cold water and add ice. Set the bowl aside. Meanwhile boil water on a cooking pot and put all the veggies in there. Boil for less than a minute (around 50 seconds) and then transfer the veggies to the bowl with ice water. The temperature of the water stops the vegetable from cooking further.This helps make the veggies crisp and retain its color. Set the vegetables aside. These will be added back towards the end of the process

Saute onion and garlic until soft. Add the meat and continue to cook until the color turns light brown. You can add seasonings and chicken broth. Let boil and continue to cook with the pot covered until the meats are tender. The shrimp and chopped parsley goes next. These cooks quickly. Add the noodles afterwards and cover the pot. Let the noodles absorb the steam. This makes it softer. Toss the noodles and continue to cook until the liquid is completely absorbed. You may want to add more water if the noodles seem dry. Finish it by adding back the blanched vegetables and seasoning with ground black pepper. Toss until all ingredients are well distributed.

Alternative Ingredients for Pancit Canton

There are many ways to cook pancit canton. The difference between each version has something to do with the main ingredients used. You can use snow peas a a substitute for snap peas. These are called chicharo in Filipino.

Chicken can also be a good alternative to pork. The oyster sauce is an optional ingredient. I like it because it improves the flavor of pancit canton. Sliced long green beans can be added to the dish. Napa cabbage can be used as an alternative ingredient to regular cabbage.

Pancit Canton Versions

Vegetarian – This version is vegetarian and vegan friendly. It had the basic ingredients with the addition of Shiitake mushroom. This is a flavorful mushroom variety that I used most of the time when cooking Asian dishes.

Ingredients

▢2 ounces Shiitake mushroom dried ▢8 ounces Pancit Canton ▢3 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce ▢4 tablespoons soy sauce ▢1 piece onion sliced ▢4 cloves garlic crushed ▢2 stalks celery chopped ▢2 cups water ▢3 tablespoons parsley chopped ▢1 ½ cups cabbage shredded ▢1 piece carrot julienne ▢15 pieces snap peas ▢6 tablespoons cooking oil ▢Ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine dried mushrooms and warm water in a bowl. Soak until mushroom softens. Slice mushrooms. Save aside the water for later. Heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in a pot. Stir-fry snap peas, cabbage, and carrot for 1 ½ minutes. Remove and set aside. On the same pot, add remaining oil. Saute onion, garlic, and celery until onion softens. Add mushrooms. Saute for 2 minutes. Add oyster sauce and soy sauce. Pour water used to soak mushrooms. Let boil. Cover and cook in medium heat for 10 minutes. Add parsley. Stir. Add pancit canton. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. This will allow the noodles to absorb steam to make it softer. Toss the noodles. Cover the pot and continue to cook in low heat for 3 minutes. Add stir-fried vegetables. Toss. Season with ground black pepper. Toss and transfer to a serving plate.

Shrimp –

I like to have shrimp in my doodle dish. It provides a good flavor and is always pleasant to eat. This particular version makes use of frozen shrimp along with bell peppers. It is one of my go to recipe when I feel like making a quick one with limited time

Shrimp and Chicken

- A combination of shrimp and chicken for a noodle dish is always a good idea. This recipe has shredded chicken and pan-fried shrimp. I also had some Chinese sausage in it to lift the overall flavor to the next level.

Squid Ball

– Chow mein with squid ball is a budget-friendly dish. It is composed of the same flour noodles with vegetables such as cabbage and carrots. A popular Filipino street food known as squid balls are utilized. A squid ball is a ball-shaped mixture with either fresh chopped squid or squid flavor.

Seafood

– One of my favorite version is seafood. It has shrimp, squid, crabmeat, squiballs, and mushroom. I think that this is one of the tastiest noodle dish that I made. It is perfect during lent when Catholics are abstaining from meat.

Saucy

– Pancit canton with extra sauce is always good to have. There are even times when I eat it with rice. It might sound unusual, but the flavorful sauce always complement whatever dish or side dish you eat it with. I like mine with more calamansi, so I squeeze a piece of it over the pancit before eating.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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