Monday, June 28, 2010

it's not as good as lola's...


when my mom is in town visiting she will cook the filipino dishes that all of her eight grandchildren love.  mine and my sister's version of filipino cooking just doesn't compare to lola's!  tonight she made  sinigang a soup or stew known for it's sour flavor and she also made a noodle dish which is called pancit.  pancit is a quick cooked noodle dish that is one of the quintessential meals of filipino cuisine.  there are many different kinds of pancit and you will find pancit at most, if not all, at every filipino family gathering.  the most comon variety is pancit bihon, with rice vermicelli noodles mixed with meat and veggies.
below is a similiar recipe that i found on the internet because when you ask any filipino mom for a recipe there's never any measurements.  "oh, just a little of this and some of that" is what my mom and tita's (aunties) always tell me.

4 to 6 servings-

rice sticks/vermicelli noodles 1 (8 ounce) package


oil-- 3 tbsp
onion, sliced thinly 1 
garlic, minced 2-3 cloves
cabbage, chopped 1/4 to 1/2 head
carrots, grated or julienne 2 ea
chicken breast, sliced/shredded 1 pound
chicken broth, 2 cups
salt and pepper to taste
lemons or kalaminsi limes, cut into wedges


1.  add the noodles to a large bowl and pour hot water over them to cover.  let soak for about 15 minutes, then drain and set aside.
2.  heat the oil in a wok or large pot over medium-high flame.  add the onions and garlic and stir fry until the onions just begin to turn translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.  add the cabbage and carrots and stir fry for another 2 to 3 minutes.  finally add the chicken breast and stir fry for another 2 to 3 minutes.
3.  pour in the broth, soy sauce, salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low.  simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.
4.  remove the wok or pot from heat and add the soaked rice noodels.  toss the noodles with the ingredients to coat them with sauce and adjust seasoning.  serve in bowls with lemon or lime wedges to squeeze over the top.


that's it!  pretty easy, peasy, lemon squeezy!  i've made it a few times before but i have to admit hands down as the grandkids say "it's not as good as lola's!" and it will never be.  


bon appetit!
signature
p.s. don't forget to enter my giveaway in yesterday's post here!

day 177 flickr project365

15 comments:

Sandy a la Mode said...

yum yum, this looks sooo delicious!!!! and looking at the ingredients i know it MUST be good!!

Buckeroomama said...

Ooh, seeing that makes my mouth water --especially the calamansi! :)

I miss Filipino food...

Sharon Lei said...

I heart Sinagang... mmmm.. but pancit would definitely have to be one of my favs. In my book my grandma cooks the BEST pancit ever. Oh YUM. And I love that your pictured the pancit with calamansi... you gotta have some calamansi with pancit! Thanks for making my tummy smile today.

xx Love & Aloha

Marie said...

I <3 pancit!:D

http://allthingsmarie.blogspot.com/
BEAUTY. FASHION. DESIGN.
...and everything girly under the sun!

Anonymous said...

I love pancit! I love my mom's recipe for lumpia! I make them myself once a year, because it's such a process!

Okay, did I know you were filipino?! I didn't! I'm glad you're home. We are leaving for a quick trip tomorrow, but will be back by Thursday...see you then! :)

Small Burst said...

yummm. pancit is one of my favorites! now i'm totally craving them.

Diana Mieczan said...

Yummy...Love stuff like that so I will be making this tomorrow:) Thank you sweetie and have a lovely day!

Courtney said...

Goodness, that looks delicious!

jen@odbt said...

I'm drooling! I love pancit but it never tastes as good as my dad's. Hopefully they'll make it here soon for a visit. I need my pancit fix!

whoisnell said...

thanks for your encouraging words..

i've never tasted pancit but it sure looks similar to the siamese style fried vermiceli.. i love them with lots of julienne fried egg as garnish.. oh.. mayb julienne red chilli too..
yummilicious...

Flora Chang said...

oh oh oh.. YES I miss the food! I am gonna have to try and make this! Thanks for the recipe!!! :D xx

Unknown said...

I'm so hungry now!!! Haha. :)

cheri said...

the secret to making pancit is how well you saute every ingredient before adding the next one. ask your mom :)

would you believe that there are instant pancit canton being sold here in the philippines? just boil the noodles for 3-4 minutes. while waiting for that, mix the flavoring and seasoning in a plate. add pancit to the plate then mix.

of course, nothing beats a home-cooked panct made with love :)

Helena - A Diary of Lovely said...

it definitely looks good!!

~Lisa~ said...

I think its an asian thing. My mom is the same way. Looks delicious. I love this noodle dish.