Ben’s Home Cooking - Philippines Menu

Philippines Menu

Pancit

Pancit comes to the Philippines by way of China. I have delved into this dish’s roots by incorporating the Chinese practice of marinating the seafood and meat in a small amount of soy sauce and cornstarch. This isn’t how it’s done in the Philippines, but Filipino coworkers have asked me for advice on how to improve their pancit!

The best pancit is made with Filipino soy sauce. Soy sauces can be as intensely varietal as fine wines. Pancit is traditionally made with angel hair rice stick noodles, but I prefer spaghetti-weight. So do most Filipinos who have tried my pancit.

1 pound Chinese Rice Stick noodles
½ pound raw Prawns, shelled and de-veined
½ pound thinly sliced Pork Tenderloin
½ pound thinly sliced Chicken Breast
2 Tablespoons Golden Swan brand or Sliver Swan brand Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
6 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
2 medium yellow Onions, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Cabbage
Cooking Oil
¼ cup Golden Swan brand or Sliver Swan brand Soy Sauce
Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 Lime, cut into wedges

Soak the rice stick noodles in cold water to cover for at least 30 minutes. Mix together the 2 Tablespoons soy sauce and the cornstarch. Divide the mixture into thirds and separately mix into prawns, pork, and chicken. Leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Put 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a wok and stir-fry one quarter of the noodles at a time, until they are cooked al dente. Add more cooking oil as needed. Collect the noodles in a bowl.

Add 1 Tablespoon cooking oil to the wok and separately stir-fry the prawns, pork, chicken, garlic, and onion. Add more cooking oil as needed. These ingredients should only be lightly cooked, because they will be subjected to additional heat when they are mixed with the noodles.

When these five ingredients are cooked, return them to the wok, along with the cabbage, soy sauce, and black pepper. Briefly stir-fry until the color of the cabbage brightens. Add the noodles, one quarter at a time. Toss the mixture as you would a salad, to distribute the ingredients. Serve with a generous squeeze of lime juice.