Pancit

I work with a man who is from the Philippines. Every day at lunch he has the most amazing Asian meals that his wife has made for him. I am always asking him about them and talking with him about home in the Philippines. He was so kind to share a couple of recipes with me from his wife, Pancit being one of them.

Pancit is the term for noodle in Filipino cuisine. They were introduced in the Philippines by the Chinese and were quickly adopted into their cuisine. Noodle dishes are the standard fare in restaurants and there are many different ways to cook them. Noodles represent long life and good health in their culture (you should never cut your noodles) and therefore should be eaten on one's birthday. They are commonly served at birthday celebrations and may be listed as "birthday noodles" on menus. 

Ingredients

Soaking noodles (right)

Vegetables all chopped up

Vegetables with the cooked pork in the wok

Vegetables cooked down

Adding the noodles to the chicken broth

Noodles that have completely soaked up the broth

Add the noodles to the pork + vegetables

Pork Pancit

Ingredients

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 onions, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 carrots, shredded

1 1/2 pounds of pork (you can add chicken and/or shrimp as well)

1 head of bok choy chopped

1/2 head of Napa Cabbage

1/2 pound green beans

1-2 tbsp sesame oil

24 ounces Chicken broth

Soy sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

salt + pepper

1 bag of Excellent brand rice sticks OR 1 bag Wai
Wai Brand rice sticks (can be found at H&L Asian Market in North Charleston)

Directions

1. Soak the rice sticks in water for ten minutes, then drain

2. Place a large sized wok (or stainless steel saucepan) over medium heat. Add the sesame oil and brown the pork (chicken/shrimp etc). Once cooked, add the garlic and onions. Sauce and then add the vegetables. Stir fry for about 15 minutes (the green beans need the longest time to cook). Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a container, cover with foil and set aside.

3. In the same pan, boil the chicken broth. Add 2 tbsp of oyster sauce and soy sauce to taste (I added about 2 tbsp). Once the chicken broth mixture is boiling, add the rice sticks and stir until they soak up all of the broth, about 5 minutes. Try a rice stick, if it is not al dente add more broth (or water) and cook until the noodles are soft and the liquid is fully absorbed.

4. Mix the vegetables with the cooked rice sticks, serve and enjoy! (Add soy sauce to your preference)

Served with pork dumplings(on the blog as well!)