Filipino Noodle

Filipino noodle, also called Filipino pancit or Filipino pasta, is the adaptation of Chinese noodle dishes by the Austronesian people living in the Phillipine Islands, as well as those living in Guam and Hawaii.  Filipino noodle dishes commonly consist of softened rice noodles cooked with a thick sauce such as a tomato sauce, and flavored by ingredients like soy sauce and lemon. Noodles, the Asian version of what is known as pasta in the west, was introduced by the Chinese to the Filipino people, hence Chinese influence is seen in these dishes. Noodles dishes in Philippines are representative of long life and good health.

Filipino Noodle Recipe Overview

Filipino noodles dishes can be easily prepared at home or can be relished at the food joints.

The basic ingredients which are required to make pansit are noodles, vegetables and meat. Rice noodles, egg noodles or wheat noodles can be used to make the noodle dish, the rice variety being most common. The sauce is prepared with sautéed onions and garlic, tomatoes or stock, soy sauce, seasonings, and meats and vegetables. Vegetables like cabbage, carrots and scallions, and meats like pork, chicken, beef and seafood are used in many popular versions. 

The common method of preparation is to boil the noodles first and toss it with already fried ingredients or a thick sauce such as a tomato sauce. Many dishes consist of cooked noodles in a soup.

Serving

Filipino noodles are served hot, with a garnish of minced green onions, hard boiled eggs, smoked fish flakes, crushed pork rind or shrimp. Pansit can also be served in a soup form or with a sauce. La Paz style batchoy and mami are the popular noodle soup dishes of Philippines.

Popular Filipino Noodle Recipe Variations

• Pancit Guisado- This noodle dish is a combination of meat, vegetables and soft noodles. This dish is mostly prepared by using rice stick noodles. The flavor of the dish is mild salty and spicy.
• Pancit Bihon- This Filipino noodle dish consists of thin rice noodles cooked with soy sauce, sliced meat and lemon juice. The dish is also known as bijon and often makes use of Chinese sausages and cabbage.
• Pancit Palabok and Pancit Luglug: Both these variants are similar except for the thickness of the rice noodles used, which is more for the Luglug variant. They are made of round rice noodles, which are commercially available with label for any of these two dishes, and a thick shrimp sauce.
• Pancit Sotanghon- It is a popular noodle soup which is made using dark meat chicken, chicken broth, green onion and sliced straw mushrooms.
• Seaweed Pancit: This is a nutritious dish consisting of seaweeds and noodles. 

Trivia

• According to Chinese lore made popular amongst Filipinos, noodles were a food appropriate for eating at birthdays. Hence many birthday noodle dishes can be found in the local restaurant menus. 
• Panciterias is the term used for food institutions that specialize in noodles.