Pancit Canton

P's family loved the Chicken Macaroni Salad that I made for lunch one day. So I was undaunted when they asked if I could cook a Filipino dish for them. "Sure! No problem.." That was, until they requested for "the Noodles" They meant of course, the Pancit. Of Chinese origin, Pancit had long been embraced by Filipinos. We also adopted the Chinese belief that these long noodles symbolizes long life and good health, thus the noodles are never cut during the cooking process. Second only to rice in popularity, Pancit Canton (Lo Mein) and Pancit Bihon (Mei Fun) are perpetual Filipino dishes. It is served on ALL occasions (birthdays, christenings, fiestas, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, funeral wakes, I-just-feel-like-cooking-Pancit Day, etc. - you get my drift) and can be found in most Pinoy restaurants and carinderias. We eat it for lunch, dinner, snacks - we even stuff the leftovers in pandesal (small, round bread) to take to work or school as ba-on (lunch). Yup, starch on starch. Anyway, as common as Pancit may sound - I have never cooked it before. I did have an idea on how to make it. I mean - it'd be pretty hard to screw up a fairly basic dish that is prepared by simply mixing up all the ingredients on high heat till its done. So I guess you could say that I was up for the challenge.
P took me to the nearest Asian store where he bought all the ingredients that I needed. Surprisingly, it turned out pretty good - P even wondered why I never make it at home. Here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

2 packs Pancit Canton (dried yellow noodle)
2 boneless chicken breast, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 cup stringbeans, cut into 1" length
1/4 cabbage, coarsely shredded
1 medium carrot, julliened
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 can straw mushrooms (or 1 cup fresh mushrooms)
1 can baby corn
2 celery stalks, sliced thinly
1/2 pound shrimps, shelled, de-veined (I had to use the small Nordic shrimps)
1 medium onion, diced
1 chicken bouillon
salt
pepper
cooking oil
toyo (Soy Sauce), about 1 tbsp.(use sparingly - noodles are naturally seasoned)
scallions or chives, chopped
1 lemon, sliced

Heat Cooking Oil in large pan. Season Chicken with Salt and Pepper. Stir-fry till brown, then add just enough water to cover it. Drop in the Chicken Bouillon. Simmer till Chicken is cooked. Drain Chicken. Set aside Chicken stock. On same pan, add a little more Oil, then crank UP the heat. Saute Carrots, String Beans, Celery and Cabbage. When slightly wilted, add the drained Corn and drained Mushrooms. Combine all ingredients. Add the Chicken and Shrimps. Cook till Shrimps are pinkish, about 2 - 3 minutes. Adjust the flavor according to taste with a little bit of Soy Sauce and Pepper. Pour in the Chicken Broth. Drop in the dried Pancit and mix everything together gently but thoroughly. Let Noodles cook for about 5 - 7 minutes. You might have to add a little more broth (or water) since the Noodles suck up all the fluid like a sponge. As soon as noodles are cooked, place the Bean Sprouts on the top. Cover pan immediately and turn OFF the heat. Leave covered for about 5 minutes, letting the steam cook the Bean Sprouts. Garnish liberally with chopped Scallions and a couple of Lemon slices. Serve piping hot.

Pancit Canton

(Package of Pancit Canton photo credit: Pacific Rim Gourmet)

LINK:http://steytsaydilongga.blogspot.com/2006/06/chicken-macaroni-salad.html