Pancit Canton

Pancit canton is a Filipino stir-fried flour-noodle dish. Vanjo Merano’s selected version combines the noodles with pork, Chinese sausage, shrimp, snap peas, carrots and cabbage, using soy sauce and optional oyster sauce for seasoning.

Snap peas, carrots and cabbage are briefly blanched in boiling water, moved to an ice-water bath and drained. Onion and minced garlic sauté separately in cooking oil before sliced pork and Chinese sausage join the wok.

Soy sauce and the optional oyster sauce coat the meat before chicken broth, water, salt and pepper are added. Shrimp and chopped flat-leaf parsley follow, with extra water if needed.

The flour-stick noodles are gently tossed into the cooking liquid and absorb it as they soften. The same blanched vegetables return near the end, and the assembled noodles are transferred to a serving plate.

The author remembers this pancit at family birthday parties. It is served immediately while hot, with calamansi wedges alongside for squeezing; the chewy noodles and briefly cooked vegetables give contrasting textures.