Pancit Canton & Sotanghon Recipe

There are several types of Filipino Pancit, but I like to mix two together. My personal favorite is sotanghon (crystal, cellophane, bean thread or glass noodles) and while I don’t prefer canton (egg noodle), when I mix it with sotanghon, I really enjoy it and found it to be a big hit with others. I usually make this recipe for large gatherings, so recommend considering cutting the recipe in half, unless you want a lot of leftovers!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion (or half a large one), sliced thinly
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb pork shoulder, sliced thinly
• 1 chicken breast, de-boned and sliced thinly
• 1 lb headless shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 2 tablespoons Toyomansi (or soy sauce)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Patismansi (or fish sauce)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup cabbage, shredded
• 2 carrots, julienned
• 1 cup green beans, sliced or one flat of snow peas or sugar snap peas
• 3/4 cup dried black mushroom or shiitake mushroom (optional), sliced
• 1 (1 lb) package dry pancit noodles
• 4 bundles of dry sotanghon (vermicelli) noodles
• 4 green onions, sliced for garnish
• 1 lemon or kalamansi, cut into wedges for garnish
• 2-3 hard boiled eggs, sliced for garnish

Directions

1. If using mushrooms, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes, then cut into strips, discarding the tough stems. Set aside.
2. Place chicken in a pot and cover with enough water to make at least 2 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender, skimming off foam. Remove chicken and allow to cool before cutting into thin strips, reserving the strained chicken broth.
3. While the chicken is cooking, soak the sotanghon noodles in hot water for 10 minutes or until soft.
4. In a big wok, heat oil over medium-high heat and saute garlic and onions until tender.
5. Add pork and shrimp until half cooked. Add the chicken meat and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
6. Add paprika, toyomansi (soy sauce), patismansi (fish sauce), 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth, and mushrooms, stirring to flavor.
7. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the vegetables and cook until tender yet crisp.
8. Add canton noodles, mixing gently to prevent them from breaking. Then add sotanhon noodles and stir to mix.
9. Cook until liquid is absorbed and noodles are done.
10. Season with black pepper and more patismansi, if needed.
11. Garnish with green onions, hard boiled eggs and lemon/kalamansi wedges.

Notes

• I have replaced the cabbage and carrots with the pre-made coleslaw mix that comes in a bag in the salad section to save prep time.
• Instead of making chicken broth in step two, canned chicken broth may also be used.
• Chicken breast can be substituted with shredded left over rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken as well as different parts. I prefer to use chicken thighs since I like dark meat and will use between 2-3 depending on the size.
• I prefer using sugar snap peas and leave them whole, however those and snow peas may be cut if desired.
• To soak the sotanghon noodles, I prefer to boil water rather than hot tap water since it softens them more quickly and helps pre-cook them.