Pancit Canton

On most Filipino occasions, aside from lechon baboy, a pancit dish would always be present. Be it bihon, sotanghon, canton or combinations like bam-i (sotanghon and canton); it is always on the handa-an table.

And like many Filipino dishes, the pancit recipe varies from household to household much more in different restaurants and food place.


Here's a basic recipe for a Pancit Canton where you can tweak using more or less ingredients of your choice.

Ingredients

• 1 pack Pancit Canton (around 500gms)
• 2 cups pork strips 
• 1 medium cabbage shredded
• 2 large carrots, thin strips
• 1 sayote, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon Oyster sauce 
• Salt, Pepper and/or Soy Sauce, to taste
• 1 cup Beef or chicken stock (or bouillon cubes in hot water)
• Sesame Oil, optional
• Spring onion
• Calamansi

How to make Pancit Canton

1. In a wok, place lightly salted pork and fry it in its own fat.
2. After 5-7 minutes (or longer), take out excess oil until enough remains to sauté the garlic and onion.
3. Add the meat stock then bring to a boil. Adjust flavor with salt, pepper and soy sauce (if you're not using bouillon cubes)
4. Add  canton noodles, cabbage and carrots then cook until the liquid has been absorbed by the noodles.
5. Finally, mix in oyster sauce and sesame oil.
6. Garnish with spring onion and serve with calamansi.

 You can add and or combine more meat like chicken and sausage plus seafoods like shrimp, fish or squid balls. Ofcourse, it follows that there could be more vegetables - chicharo, Baguio beans, broccolli, bell pepper, pechay, etc. 

One can also use shrimp broth (crushed shrimp "shells" in hot water then strained). Others also blanch the vegetables beforehand then place in cold water then mix in after the noodles are cooked. Just experiment on various ingredients and procedures to make your very own Pancit Canton recipe.