Philippines
Pancit
The noodles of long life
Pancit came to the islands with Chinese traders – even the name derives from Hokkien “pian i sit”, “something conveniently cooked”. From the import grew an everyday cuisine with countless variations, from thin rice-noodle bihon to thick wheat canton.
At birthdays pancit must never be missing: the long noodles stand for a long life – and are therefore traditionally not cut, so you don't accidentally sever the good fortune.
Ingredients
- Rice noodles (bihon)250 g
- Chicken breast, sliced300 g
- Prawns (optional)150 g
- Carrot, cabbage, beans1 handful each
- Soy sauce3 tbsp
- Patis (fish sauce)1 tbsp
- Chicken stock400 ml
- Calamansi or lemonto serve
★ = available authentic in the Asia Boutique
Preparation
Soak the rice noodles in water for 10 min, drain.
Sauté garlic and onion, add the chicken (and prawns) and cook through.
Add the vegetables, fry briefly until crisp-tender, remove.
Bring the stock, soy sauce and patis to a boil, add the noodles and let them absorb the liquid.
Fold in the vegetables and meat, serve with a squeeze of calamansi.
Make it original
Genuine Filipino bihon rice noodles and soy sauce are what make pancit authentic. Standard Asian noodles fall apart quickly.