Pancit canton recipe & ingredients
Pancit comes in different shapes and sizes. Bihon, canton, palabok, Cabagan, and more. Different names may refer to the noodles used or the region or locality it originates from.
One of the most popular, and one of my favorites, is pancit canton. I like the thicker noodles and how they can absorb flavors. I also like my pancit canton with chunky meats and ingredients.
About my recipe
So my pancit canton is full of meats and vegetables, but feel free to adjust the recipe to add more noodles. Or else you’ll be tempted to have this with rice eventually.
A message to my broth-ers and shrimps-ters
I also use shrimp-chicken broth to soften the noodles. I like to make use of the peeled shrimp shells and heads, so I boil them in chicken stock (or water with 1 chicken stock cube for a few minutes). This makes the pancit canton noodles even more flavorful. After the broth is done, I separate the shells and suck on the cooked shrimp heads while I make the pancit. Shrimp can be expensive however, so feel free to use less shrimp if needed. You can still use the chicken broth or a chicken broth cube.
Ingredients
- Meats
- 1 chicken breast fillet boneless, slice into small strips.
- 8 pieces assorted fish, squid, or beef balls. Cut into half balls then slice.
- 2 small Chinese sausages, sliced.
- 1/2 kilo or 2 lbs large shrimp peeled, cut off heads (save shells and heads for broth). Feel free to use less shrimp.
- Vegetables
- 1 hand full baguio beans or green beans, sliced.
- 2 medium atsal or bell peppers, julienned.
- 2 small red onion or 1 large white onion, sliced.
- 1 medium carrot, julienned.
- 1 garlic bulb, peeled and diced.
- 1/4th or half a small cabbage, sliced.
- Flavors
- 3-4 cups chicken stock OR 1 chicken stock cube in 3-4 cups water.
- Oyster sauce, 2 tbsp.
- Toyo or soy sauce, 2 tbsp.
- Salt and pepper.
- Calamansi as a post-splash.
- The rest
- 125 g (half a 250 g pack) pancit canton. You can use an entire 250 g pack for more noodles as 125 g make this more of a “cooked meat and vegetables with some noodles in it.”
- Oil, 2 tbsp.
Directions
Make the broth
- After peeling and cutting off the heads of your shrimp, boil the shells and heads in 3-4 cups of chicken stock. If using water instead, add 1 chicken stock cube. Cook for about 7-8 minutes.
- Separate broth, preferably in a thermos or one of those expensive Hydra or Aqua Flasks your aunt from Texas gave you. Keep the shrimp heads as a snack while you cook the pancit. Place the heads in a large bowl and toss with light salt, peel and suck the heads for residual shrimp head juice and meat. Suck real hard so that your neighbors hear you.
Make everything else
- I digress. Heat large pot with oil and sautee the onions and garlic.
- Add the carrot, atsal, and baguio beans. Cook and toss for a few minutes to soften these harder vegetables a bit.
- Add the assorted meat balls and Chinese sausage. Cook and toss for a couple of minutes.
- Add the chicken. Cook and toss for a couple of minutes.
- Add the cabbage and shrimp. Cook and toss until the chicken has cooked white and firm, and the shrimp is orange and firm. Shrimp cooks fast, so they’re last.
- Add the noodles, then add the broth. Mix carefully while the noodles soak up the broth, unless you like noodle pieces in your pancit.
- Cook until noodles are soft.
- NOTE: If your pot is a bit small and still full before the noodles are added, take a separate large microwave-safe, ceramic, or stainless steel bowl and place noodles inside it. Pour the shrimp broth over the noodles. Take your ladle and slowly add the cooked meats and vegetables on top of the noodles to soften them a bit. Then transfer the entire bowl to the first pot to finish cooking. Use oven mitts or small towels to handle the bowl as it will get hot.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed our shared journey into pancit canton ala Filipeanut. It turns out that in 2006 I made a blog post about my older rendition of a pancit canton recipe, but it doesn’t make sense. Don’t bother reading it. Also have a happy Lunar New Year, so have this pancit with the longest noodles you can find (for long life kono/daw).