Pancit
December 28, 2010 • Category: Main Dish
There is a Filipino sub-culture in Lebanon due to the large number of people who move there with employment contracts from the Philippines. Thanks to Jessica, a Filipino lady I befriended who lived in the country for fifteen years before going back home to marry, I discovered this wonderful dish, called pancit.
It is a comforting and delicious dish of stir-fried veggies and rice noodles, with some shredded chicken and shrimp.
Pancit (the word means noodles in Tagalog) can be satisfactory or sublime; it all depends on the quality of the ingredients. The veggies for instance should be shredded very fine and not overcooked. The sauce needs to be seasoned with finesse and the chicken broth should be fresh and homemade, for best results.
Pancit can be made strictly with chicken; or with shrimp, or both. The veggies can be varied. It is a very versatile dish.
INGREDIENTS: 6 to 8 servings
- 1 package of rice sticks (8 ounces)
- 1/2 pound of large shrimps
- 1 chicken or several pieces of chicken with bones
- 2 cups each of shredded cabbage, carrots, snow peas, onion
- 1 Tablespoon of mashed garlic
- Soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil (optional), black pepper or red hot Aleppo pepper or hot paprika or chili powder
- to use for garnish: shredded scallions, quartered limes
- For the chicken stock: a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme or other herbs, some black peppercorns, garlic cloves, a medium onion
METHOD:
- Make the chicken stock: (can be made one or more days ahead). Place a chicken in a large pot, douse in a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil and brown the chicken lightly on all sides. Add 6 to 8 cups of tap water to the chicken, a bay leaf, a few cloves of garlic, an onion, a few peppercorns and a sprig of thyme. Let the chicken simmer for one hour or longer in the covered pot until it is cooked. Cool, strain the stock and shred the chicken. If using a few pieces of chicken, shred them and discard the bones. Reserve 6 cups of the chicken stock for the pancit and the rest can be frozen and used for another dish.
- Shred the cabbage by hand if possible into very thin slivers. Peel and shred the carrots and any other vegetable you pick. I used some snow peas and slice them lengthwise.
- When ready to cook, gather all the ingredients; if using shrimps, peel the shrimps and reserve the peel and heads to flavor the stock. Sprinkle hot pepper on the shrimps and set aside. Place the shrimp peels (heads also) into the chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes to flavor the stock. Strain the stock and set aside.
- Heat a mixture of canola oil and sesame oil in a non-stick pot or wok. Add the chopped onion and stir until translucent. Add the shrimps and stir until the shrimps are firm and pink, about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimps and set aside. Add the other shredded veggies, a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce, the mashed garlic, and stir the veggies for two minutes until limp.
- Remove the veggies and set aside. Add the chicken and shrimp stock and let it come to a simmer; drop the rice sticks in the stock and let the noodles soften about 4 minutes; add the veggies, shrimp and shredded chicken. Stir the noodles and veggies until they are well-mixed but still moist.
- Serve the pancit with a garnish of chopped scallions and quartered limes.
NOTE: You should have plenty of stock to cook the noodles in and some leftover to keep the dish moist and yummy. Figure on at least 5 to 6 cups of stock for 8 ounces of rice sticks.
Comments
51 Comments • Comments Feed
Tim says:
This really has a Pad Thai feel to it! Beautiful!
E.A.T.
On December 28, 2010 at 12:49 am
Rosa says:
i don’t know much about Filipino food, but this dish looks scrummy! Quite similar to Pad Thai, indeed.
Cheers,
Rosa
On December 28, 2010 at 3:00 am
MaryMoh says:
Mmmm…I love this. My family would love this, too. Looks very delicious. This would make a good meal anytime 🙂
On December 28, 2010 at 4:25 am
Ivy says:
The dish sounds delicious but I doubt if I can get any rice sticks around here. Still it sounds as a great recipe with normal pasta.
On December 28, 2010 at 4:34 am
Priya says:
Am hungry now, very tempting pancit..
On December 28, 2010 at 5:29 am
Khalil says:
Three is a wonderful little Filipino cafe in Dora, near Akil Bros. that makes a fantastic pancit. They have no menu, they just make a half dozen dishes each day and what they have is what you get to choose from. I’ve never been disappointed.
http://www.mallaidh.org/blog/Blog/Entries/2010/5/22_IDTIILA%2C_Part_2.html
On December 28, 2010 at 5:48 am
sicoulette says:
mmmm…tempting:) merry christmas:)
On December 28, 2010 at 6:35 am
turkey's for life says:
We won’t be eating them with noodles but we will be eating juicy, fresh king prawns on New Year’s Eve and I can’t wait now I’ve seen this photo! Have a great New Year! 🙂
On December 28, 2010 at 7:45 am
TastyTrix says:
I have just discovered a Filipino restaurant here that I am dying to try, including the pancit! Silly me, I didn’t know it means noodles … And now if I become totally addicted to the food I have this recipe to recreate it. It has hot paprika in it as an option I see; interesting cultural blending in these flavors.
On December 28, 2010 at 9:24 am
Chiara says:
love at first sight! Joumana, what a wonderful recipe!
kisses…
On December 28, 2010 at 10:20 am
peter says:
i first tried Pancit noodles when I worked at the bank and the Phillipinas brought it to a pot-luck lunch….delicious with pork and shrimp!
Have you tried Phillipino Fruit Salad? To die for!
On December 28, 2010 at 10:33 am
Barbara says:
That looks so comforting, Joumana. Such a lovely presentation and it sounds delicious. This is going on my “try soon” list!
Happy New Year to you!
On December 28, 2010 at 10:49 am
Sushma Mallya says:
wow thats so tempting…would love to make this soon
On December 28, 2010 at 10:52 am
Claudia says:
This will warm my chilly Minnesota home. Love all the components mixed together to create a new flavor.
On December 28, 2010 at 11:06 am
Tall Clover Farm says:
Joumana, I love pancit, but have never made it before. Years ago, some Filipino friends in Juneau, Alaska used to make it and had me hooked. Like kibbeh, every family has their own variation. My friends used to add ham or spicy sausage to the meat mix.
Nowadays, I always overindulge on pancit on my summer trips over the mountains to the Yakima Farmers Market. Good food, good people — thanks for sharing! This is now on the kitchen list for 2011.
On December 28, 2010 at 12:04 pm
SYLVIA says:
Bold combination of spicy, and tangy flavors make this dish tasty and inventive. I will definitely try it. I had a popular Filipino dessert the other day Avocado And Milk it was delicious and very tempting.
On December 28, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Karen says:
Filipino food is very underrated even in LA where there is a large community. Thanks for sharing!
On December 28, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Devaki says:
This so reminds me of the food we used to love in Singapore.
We worked with such a large Filipino population and we expats would often eat and party together – it was always delightful to see the simillarities between some Goan dishes and Filipino dishes – like the deep fried milk fish and chicken adobo (with the use of vinegar)
This dish is just what qualifies as comfort food in our home and I might just have to make it this week. Lovely recipe, Joumana 🙂
Chow, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
On December 28, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Heavenly Housewife says:
What a wonderful dish, full of lots of fresh flavours and healthy ingredients.
*kisses* HH
On December 28, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Magdalena says:
Very tasty dish – I like everything in it. Happy New Year to you – unfortunately in past two months I did not have time for blogging, and for reading other blogs.
On December 28, 2010 at 12:38 pm
Anita says:
looks real yummy, it also reminds me of Bibimbop. I always find it amazing how a cuisine evolves. i think generations from now, Lebanese cuisine will definitely have Philipino influences, like it does French and Latino, and vice versa for those that go back home to Philipines and take away from the Lebanese culture. So fascinating!
On December 28, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Katerina says:
I haven’t tried any Filipino dish. The combo in this one slightly reminds me of paella. In that too they use chicken with fruits of the sea, only with rice. It must be very delicious.
On December 28, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Eve@CheapEthnicEatz says:
Love Asian dishes and just started exploring Filipino ones, this looks really great once you have done some practice.
On December 28, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Foodycat says:
I had no idea about the Philippino subculture in Lebanon! This looks really delicious.
On December 28, 2010 at 1:43 pm
ecvancouver_js says:
Delicious-looking pancit! I was surprised to hear there’s a sizable Filipino population in Lebanon: kudos to you for trying a Filipino dish! 🙂
On December 28, 2010 at 2:17 pm
lisaiscooking says:
I love this mix of ingredients. This looks like great comfort food, and now I’m wishing I’d planned this for dinner tonight!
On December 28, 2010 at 5:49 pm
5 Star Foodie says:
This noodle dish sounds really flavorful and wonderfully delicious, an excellent specialty!
On December 28, 2010 at 9:11 pm
Magic of Spice says:
This is a favorite dish of mine and I have had it with shrimp, but never prepared it myself.
Lovely recipe with such great flavors…Wishing a most wondrous New Year to you and your family!
On December 28, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Christine @ Fresh says:
This is one of my favorite dishes because it is filled with so many goodies! Great job on creating this pancit, it’s very authentic!
On December 29, 2010 at 12:14 am
john@heneedsfood says:
So deliciously beautiful! I can almost smell the gorgeous aroma
On December 29, 2010 at 6:57 am
T.W. Barritt says:
I’ve started to cook in this manner on weeknights, because I can get a delicious, exoctic dish without a lot of effort, and most of the items you can keep in the pantry and freezer. And, I’m a bit of a noodle addict!
On December 29, 2010 at 8:00 am
My Carolina Kitchen says:
What a lovely dish. I love the versatility. Chicken and shrimp together are a great combination of textures and flavors.
Happy new year.
Sam
On December 29, 2010 at 8:57 am
Joanne says:
Wow I would never have guessed that Filippinos lived in Lebanon! Crazy. Learn something new every day. This sounds like a delicious dish! With all those noodles…total comfort food.
On December 29, 2010 at 9:12 am
Jamie says:
I’m always fascinated by communities that insinuate themselves into and assimilate into totally different communities yet it is unsual to find foods that haven’t taken on some flavor from the new culture. This is a great dish and flavors that I absolutely love. Now I’m in the mood for something like this! Here in France we have huge Vietnamese communities and the food is fabulous!
On December 29, 2010 at 10:10 am
oum mouncifrayan says:
de belles photos bien gourmandes pour ce délice!! bravo
On December 29, 2010 at 11:32 am
stevie says:
There are a lot of Filipino people in the Bay Area, too. Pancit is very popular here at barbecue parties or any get-together with a large number of guests. I’ve seen it with pork instead of chicken.
On December 29, 2010 at 11:44 am
Doc says:
Wow! Those look fantastic. I missed a chance on the orchid mix when I was in Istanbul, but what a great excuse to go back! I love the cookies as well. I must try to find some of these ingredients. Inspiring as always!
On December 29, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Susan says:
This sounds delicious! I love the addition of the cabbage as it reminds me of Moo-Shu, one of my favorites. I’d love to try this!
On December 29, 2010 at 1:59 pm
deana says:
What a great recipe… I am so in the mood for these warm climate dishes with 30″ of snow all around me. How interesting to see how cultures touch one another in so many places… who’d a thunk it???
On December 29, 2010 at 3:34 pm
stacey snacks says:
This is the type of Asian food I love to eat!
Have a happy New Year!
Stacey
On December 29, 2010 at 4:58 pm
A Canadian Foodie says:
Incredible! Absolutely stunning! I wanted to stop by to wish you a very Happy New Year! I will now see if my post gets printed or is lost. I will remain patient if it is still in your spam folder, and send it to you!
Happy New Year!
Valerie
On December 29, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Rachel Cotterill says:
I love stir-fried noodles – I bet there are some great veggie versions of this dish 🙂
On December 29, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Erica says:
The flavors sound amazing! Delicious shrimp recipe. Happy new year!
On December 29, 2010 at 9:25 pm
PJ says:
Love the look fo this dish[even though it has prawns in it].I will try this with paneer/ tofu instead of prawns.I love anything with rice noodles…
And wishing you a very Happy new year !!!
On December 30, 2010 at 1:07 am
Lena says:
this looks so delicious..also quite similiar to the chinese way of cooking noodles except without the herbs but am sure this is very flavourful. Have a nice day!
On December 30, 2010 at 10:57 am
OysterCulture says:
Love pancit and your version looks just amazing and delicious! I cannot wait to give it a try.
On December 31, 2010 at 12:15 am
Sheridan says:
looks delicious! I am going to make this tomorrow for dinner Thanks Joumana! Happy New Year!
On January 10, 2011 at 11:45 am
Grapefruit says:
My kids love pancit canton & so you couldn’t have posted this at a better time. How happy will they be to have this for dinner tonight !
On January 11, 2011 at 2:44 am
Chef A says:
Came to your blog to see the Lebanese recipees. So this was a surprise. But must say it looks really delicious.
On January 19, 2011 at 5:49 am
domi says:
Un plat riche en goûts que l’on aimerait avoir souvent sur nos tables…que du bonheur et des saveurs…..
On March 22, 2011 at 11:38 pm