Pancit... the celebration dish

Do smells ever remind you of a memory or a time? The smell of diesel gas reminds me of the Philippines. The smell of crayons reminds me of when I was a little kid in school. And my most favorite memory is the smell of garlic and onion being cooked… will forever remind me of my mom and her cooking.

There was never a day that went by growing up that I didn’t smell garlic and onions. It is a staple in Filipino cuisine--- kind of like rice. One of my favorite dishes is “pancit.”

Americans pronounce it “pan-sit.” The correct pronunciation is “pun-sit.” It is the celebration dish. Filipinos have it for birthdays, graduations, anything that has to do with some rite of passage in the Catholic church—baptism, first communion. My mom still cooks it when my brother comes to town or if it is someone’s birthday- even if the person isn’t there to eat it. Hell, she makes it on the anniversaries of all my grandparent’s deaths. (morbid?--- not to Norma)

I thought I would share the recipe because it is one of the best dishes I know how to make. It is not only filling but good for you. Fresh everything! Enjoy! As Norma would say, “It is berry good poor you.” The noodles represent longevity, so remember not to cut the noodles when cooking pancit or when eating it… it is bad luck.

Mabuhay!

What you will need…

2 cups of carrots julienne cut—but not so then

2 cups of celery sliced

2 cups of green beans sliced

1 medium onion chopped

½ head of cabbage sliced

1 tblspn of minced garlic

2-3 tablespoons of oil (I use olive oil)

Salt and pepper

2-3 chicken breasts

½ lb of medium sized shrimp

1 package of rice noodles

Soy sauce--- amount is up to you.

1 fresh lemon

 Boil the chicken breast in some lightly salted water until full cooked.

While chicken is cooking, heat the oil (low-medium heat) in a large sauté pan- use a WOK if you have one.

Add the garlic and onions. Cook until onions are a little translucent- about 3-5 mins.

Then add your shrimp. Sauté the mixture constantly until the shrimp are evenly cooked. (make sure your heat isn’t to high you will over cook the shrimp. 

AT THIS POINT—your house should smell just like my parent’s kitchen- SO open a window.

Add the celery, carrots and green beans to the mixture.

Throw in some salt and generously pepper the mixture.

Also add about 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Mix together well.

In a large bowl or tray, soak the noodles in warm/ hot water. YOU CANNOT use the entire pot of hot water- it will make your noodles mush. The noodles just need to soak for a few mins until they are soft.

Think of it as pasta--- you don’t want to over soak them. You may have to drain the water in the tray and add more warm water a few times to get the noodles semi soft.

Remove your cooked chicken from the water. (save water)

You will need to cut up the chicken ( I like to shred the chicken) and add it to the mixture.

Add some fresh lemon juice and a little more soy sauce.

At this point everything should be simmering. You want the veggies to be semi soft, but not mushy.

Add the noodles to the mixture. Be sure to not cut the noodles—it is bad luck.

They will be a little hard to mix in with the mixture. Just make sure to mix everything- cover the noodles with the entire mixture.

Add a few more tablespoons of soy sauce and more lemon juice and salt and pepper. You can begin to taste as you go to make it to your liking. I am not big on salty foods, so I try to stay away from using too much soy sauce.

Add about a half cup of the chicken water to the pan and add your cabbage and cover. Lower heat to simmer. After about 5 mins mix cabbage in and recover for another 5-8 mins.

This is how you will know your pancit is cooked…

Everything is mixed well and the noodles are not bitty.

Enjoy! Mabuhay!--- which means, “Long live… long life”