Pancit Canton-Sotanghon

I really did not feel like posting about this, since the recipe for Pancit is now ubiquitous. This recipe is not at all special over the others, I am sure. However, some co-workers were very interested after having a taste (despite some of them hesitating at first to taste pancit then became converted). Plus, keeping in mind that my kids might someday want to cook this and will have to refer to my online kusina for guidance, I am now compelled to post my recipe here, the way I prepare pancit.

For noodles, I either use bihon or sotanghon, with or without canton. The rest of ingredients and the method are practically the same for all these types of noodles. For my non-Filipino audience, the sotanghon (bean vermicelli) is probably the most accessible, even available at Hannaford (sometimes, a Japanese version is available, although more expensive). I get mine from Spice of Life. The bihon and canton are noodles I get only from the Asian stores in Portland.

For the stock, I use a combination of chicken and lobster, which I prepare (usually with minimal salt) ahead of time and freeze for future use.

Meat can be chicken (I use leftover roasted chicken) and/or pork, and I love combining with shrimps.

For veggies, I like using garlic, onion, and tomatoes as basic for sauteeing. The rest of the veggies may be a combination of carrots, sugar snap or snow peas (alternative is green beans), bell peppers, and either napa cabbage (I prefer this) or regular cabbage.

Ingredients: (approximate)
3 tbsp oil
6 cups chicken stock (with or without lobster; if using, may use half of each); have extra on hand in case you will need more)
1 pkg (500 g) bean vermicelli (sotanghon)
1 pkg (16 oz) pancit canton
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1-2 cups cooked chicken (or you may want to sautee this first before the above veggies)
1 lb shelled shrimps
1 carrot, sliced thinly
1 cup sliced bell peppers
2 cups (or 1 small pk) snap peas or green beans
1 napa cabbage, cut crosswise in strips
6 tbsp oyster sauce (I got the idea from MaMely)
soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sesame oil

OPTIONAL
green onions, sliced, for garnishing
kalamansi and patis or toyo for further taste adjustment (mainly for Filipino eaters; I would if I were in the Philippines; I do not have access to kalamansi here.)

Instructions:

Soak the bean vermicelli in very hot tap water for about 25 minutes then drain.

Heat oil and sautee garlic until fragrant, then onions until translucent, then tomatoes until they caramelize. Add carrots, snap peas/beans, and bell peppers and stir fry 1 minute. Add chicken/lobster stock and let boil 1 minute. Add shrimps and cook 1 minute, then add napa cabbage and cook another 2 minutes (or until shrimps are cooked). Dish out the veggies/meat. Adjust taste of stock by adding oyster sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Making sure stock is in brisk boil, add pancit canton followed by sotanghon and cook for about 2 minutes (or until noodles are cooked), stirring constantly. Do not overcook. Drizzle the sesame oil and transfer to a plate. Arrange the meat/veggies as topping. May add green onions as topping.

Note: I made this when I thought my son's classmate (of Filipino parents) would be staying for lunch (they were supposed to work on their science fair project). Just as I placed the noodles, the foster parent came to get the classmate, and I sort of overcooked the noodles because of the distraction. It still turned out great, apparently. I packed some and asked my kids to bring to my in-laws. They loved it. I brought the leftover to work that night (because a co-worker wanted the recipe, but she was not working that night, sorry for her), and my co-workers that night loved it. One could not stop saying how good it was. The others were not too open to new dishes (like my husband) so they tasted just the noodles (not into veggie/meat/shrimp mix, apparently) and loved the taste nevertheless.