As promised, this month I’ve been focusing my attention on Filipino food. And I’ve been having so much fun doing it. It’s done my soul so good to center my energy on the food I grew up with, the food that surrounded me at every family gathering.
Christmas with my Filipino side of the family is always potluck style. You’ll likely find two main dishes simmering on the stove (Kare kare or diniguan….I will divulge these dishes in a later post), a couple of rice cookers on the counter, and then a table covered with ten or more other dishes. In short, it’s heaven.
To kickoff the meal, we make a standing circle around the food, take each others’ hands, and say a prayer to give thanks for our many blessings. Then it’s time to dig in. I love the informality and excitement of it all as everyone casually circles through the buffet, grinning ear to ear as they reach for their favorites. Everyone scatters to every corner of the house, some of us sitting at tables and some just finding a comfy floor spot.
When I picture the buffet, I immediately think of two casserole-sized servings of pancit covered with bite-sized meat and veggies. Of course, there is also a stack of at least two hundred lumpia right next to that as well. But pancit noodles always feel like the center the meal for me. I usually grab a giant scoop of steamed white rice, two giant scoops of pancit, and then surround my plate with lumpia, adobo, kare kare, and everything else…
So what is pancit, you may ask?? Well, pancit generally means noodles. There are several varieties of thin and thicker versions. There’s even a Filipino wonton style soup I plan to share later. But this one, pancit bihon, are the thin rice noodles I am most familiar with. This dish itself is really quite simple, a hodgepodge of whichever meat and veggies you like. In my family, the veggies traditionally include cabbage, carrots, celery, and bell peppers. And then garnished with hard-boiled or soft-boiled eggs, scallions, and calamanzi (a small orange lime-sized citrus fruit very popular in the Philippines).
For my version, I used Portugese sausage as the protein. It reminds me of my mom who spent most of her childhood growing up in Oahu, Hawaii. In Hawaii, Portugese sausage is often served at breakfast (alongside fried rice) and I love it for its vinegar-based flavor. Growing up Filipino, I learned to dip a lot of things in vinegar…it’s probably my favorite condiment.
I hope you enjoy this dish! My husband said it’s one of the best things I’ve ever made for him. And my son loved to eat it and say “This is Pawn-sit, right Mommy”.
- 1 8 oz. package of dry pancit bihon noodles
- 3 cups of sliced Portugese sausage
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 napa cabbage, thinly sliced
- 4 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 32 oz. package of chicken stock
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- For garnish: boiled eggs, scallions, calamanzi (or lemons)
- Heat the oil in a large wok over medium high heat.
- Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the sausage plus one tablespoon of soy sauce and sauté until browned (~6 minutes).
- Add all the vegetables (celery, carrots, red bell pepper, and cabbage) and sauté for 4-6 minutes.
- Add the rest of the soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken stock and stir.
- Add the dry pancit noodles gently begin folding into the broth.
- Bring the broth to a boil and then lower to simmer.
- Simmer the noodles and vegetables for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and the noodles have soaked up the majority of the broth.
- Serve and garnish with eggs, scallions, and lemon.
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