Pancit

Pancit or '"pansit"' is the term for noodles in Filipino cuisine. Noodles were introduced into the Philippines by the Chinese and have since been adopted into local cuisine. The term pancit is derived from the Hokkien pian i sit which means "something conveniently cooked fast."[1] Different kinds of noodles can be found in Filipino supermarkets which can then be cooked at home. Noodle dishes are also standard fare in local restaurants. Food establishments specializing in noodles are often referred to as panciterias.

Nancy Reyes Lumen of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism writes that according to food lore handed down from the Chinese, noodles should be eaten on one's birthday.[1] They are therefore commonly served at birthday celebrations and Chinese restaurants in the Philippines often have "birthday noodles" listed on their menus. However, she warns that since "noodles represent long life and good health; they must not be cut short so as not to corrupt the symbolism."[1]


Variations

  • Pancit Alanganin
  • Pancit Batchoy
  • Pancit Bato is indigenuous to the Bicol Region; especially the town of Bato in Camarines Sur.
  • Pancit Bihon Guisado
  • Pancit Bihongundoy
  • Pancit Cabagan
  • Pancit Canton
  • Pancit Estacion (Tanza, Cavite only)
  • Pancit Habhab (Lucban, Quezon only)
  • Pancit Kilawin is also a variety of pancit found only in Tanza, Cavite. Just an ordinary pancit bihon eaten together with a kilawing papaya (shredded raw papaya fruit cooked with vinegar and fish.
  • Pancit Lomi
  • Pancit Luglog
  • Pancit Malabon
  • Pancit Mami (round egg noodles)
  • Pancit Miki (round egg noodles)
  • Pancit Míki-Bíhon Guisado (round egg noodles + bihon)
  • Pancit Molo (a bit of a misnomer it is Filipino wanton soup without noodles contrary to what the name might suggest)
  • Pancit Moròng
  • Pancit Palabok
  • Pancit Pula (variation of Pancit Miki from Batangas City)
  • Pancit Sotanghon
  • Pansit Sabaw (Pansit Miki with soup)
  • Pancit ng Tuguegarao or Batil Patong

Pancit Palabok

Pancit bihon (bijon)

Pancit bihon (aka bijon) is the type usually associated with the word "pancit", very thin rice noodles fried with soy sauce some citrus, possibly with patis, and some variation of sliced meat and chopped vegetables. The exact bihon composition depends on someone's personal recipe but usually, Chinese sausage and cabbage are the basic ingredients in a pancit bihon.

Pancit palabok and pancit luglug are essentially the same dish, the difference being primarily in the noodles used in the recipe. Luglug uses a thicker noodle than the traditional bihon of a pancit palabok. Both pancit dishes use a round rice noodle (often specifically labeled for pancit luglug or palabok) smothered with a thick, golden shrimp sauce or other flavored sauce, and topped with:


  • Shrimp, (the size and shell-on or shell-off depending on preference)
  • Crushed or ground pork rind
  • Hard-boiled egg (sliced into disks or quartered lengthwise or chopped)
  • Tinapa (smoked fish) flakes
  • Freshly minced green onion


Pancit palabok/pancit luglug and pancit canton are communal comfort food, and can be found at nearly all Filipino potluck parties. They are best made and eaten in batches for they are easily consumed.

Pancit sotanghon is a cellophane noodle soup with a chicken broth base. It may include some kind of meat and vegetable. A typical sotanghon is made with calamansi, sliced straw mushrooms, slivered dark-meat chicken and green onion.

Batil patong is not commonly known outside of Tuguegarao in Northern Luzon, Philippines. It is an unusual sautéed noodle dish in that it comes served a dark non-soy-based sauce (unlike the more visually appealing light sauces of pancit canton) and with two piquant side dishes: one, a cup of cloudy pork broth and two, a sizeable dish of chopped onions, vinegar/calamansi, chili peppers, and soy sauce. The noodles called pancit cabagan are wheat-based and made locally. They are served moist and pasty, with a thick sauce, topped with crushed pork-rind crackling, and whipped egg from whence the name batil patong literally 'scrambled and placed on top' is derived.

Seaweed pancit

Tiwi, Albay residents created a new pancit made from seaweed, which has health benefits. It is rich in calcium and magnesium and the seaweed noodles can be cooked into pancit canton, pancit luglug, spaghetti, or carbonara.[2]