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| Pancit Bihon. |
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| Binondo in the 1950's. |
The pasta used for this dish is usually Bihon which is
Hokkien for “Rice Noodle”; in Mandarin, which is the official dialect of
Chinese, it is referred to as “Mi-Fen”.
Then, how did “Pancit” the Filipino term came to be? The word is “Pien-e-Sit” which meant “Convenience
food”; referred in official Mandarin as “Phiyen-Sher”; through Romanization and
easy Tagalog pronunciation, this became the Pancit we now commonly use. The original Pancit can only be imagined; but
from readings, it seems that this is just plain sautéed noodle with minimum of
flavorings such as sliced Chinese sausage (referred to as the Cantonese Sausage
or “Lap Chong” in the US). Now, looking
at the real Cantonese noodles which are imported from GuangDong/Hong Kong;
these come already flavored such as “Egg Noodles – Tsi Tan Mien”, “Chicken
Noodles – Tsi Mien”, “Shrimp Noodles – Siya Mien” and others. They are meant to be boiled until done then sautéed
or served in soup.
Because they are already flavored to begin with, it does not
take much to make them palatable. In
fact, if one orders “Chow Mien” (Sauteed/Pan Fried Noodle) in a Chinese
restaurant, one gets just that and the hot wok provides additional flavor from
the smoke that is imparted during the stir-frying process. If one wants “Shrimp Chow Mien” one has to
specify the inclusion of shrimp and therefore has to be ordered as “Siya Cho
Mien” (Mandarin).
Enter the Chinese immigrant in the Philippines whose
innovation in using whatever is available provided the dish and the taste we
come to know today. Using the available
meat and vegetables, the pancit we know is unique while retaining some of the
basic ingredients such as the tenga ng daga (wood fungus), Chinese sausages and
Pechay (Bok Choy or Pai-Tsai). But the
unique included the use of cabbage, carrots, chicken livers, pork, shrimp and
patis (Nuoc Nam or Fish Sauce). To add
complexity and contrast with counterpoint to this dish, a dash of kalamansi
(Calamondin) juice provides the sour “wake up call” to an otherwise salty dish
and makes the palate fresh anew for the next bite To add, the use of more unique spices in the sautéing
process is also quite different. The use
of onions with garlic and pepper is reminiscent of the Spanish recado. The combination of carrots, onions and some
add a few stalks of celery, is reminiscent of the French mirapoix and yet
imparts a European flavor. Where in the
world could a dish be this unique? Isn’t
that wonderful?
With the popularity of the “Convenience Food” the Panciteria
(a weird term, if one thinks of it – “Pancit” which is Chinese Tagalog and “-eria”
which is a Hispanization of the term meaning “establishment”) started and grew
and some made their fortunes out of this – talk to the descendants of Mr. Ma
Mon Luk. Mr. Jerry Tin, a Xavier
classmate (1983) is inviting me, once I get back to Manila to try Panciteria
Toho which is claimed to be the oldest Panciteria in existence in Manila,
having its roots since 1888.
(incidentally, To-Ho is actually the Mandarin word, “Tow-How” or “everything
is good!” although the Chinese name is not that...). And I cannot wait for I still
have fond memories of these establishments though some have moved to “cleaner
sections” of the city – Panciteria San Jacinto, Ma Mon Luk in Quezon Avenue,
The Rose Bowl, Panciteria China (pronounced as “Tsina” as in “Baby Tsina”) and
Lido Restaurant (which now is in the Quezon Circle/Tomas Morato area) among
others.
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| Old Binondo. Note the background building with the "Pansiteria" advertising. |
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| The same section of Old Binondo. Closer view - see "Pansiteria"? |
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| The Holy Grail of Panciteria? Oldest in the Philippines, folks! And Pareng Jerry, remember, we have to go! |
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| The former Ms. Justina Co Siy who became Mrs. Lukban and my Mom. |
In doing this dish, I researched, found and went back to the
more original components of Pancit Bihon Guisado. I also put in the suggestions from my mom,
Justina who used to make this during birthdays and remember that she puts in
some liver, which is an ingredient some may find odd to add in this dish but
this is something she learned from her mother, my grandmother, who lived in the
golden age of the Panciteria. I find the
flavor unique, tasty, and most of all resonant the days gone by. I hope you try and like it.
Ingredients.
- 1 whole garlic peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
- ½ tablespoon ground black pepper
- ½ kilo pork, sliced into very small pieces.
- ¼ kilo shrimp, sliced into small pieces (save the heads and shells)
- ¼ kilo chicken livers, sliced into small pieces
- 2 Chinese sausages, sliced.
- 1 cup of rehydrated wood fungus (“Tenga ng Daga”), sliced thinly
- 2 medium sized carrots (4 if the thin American carrots) peeled and sliced thinly
- 2-3 Bok Choy (Shanghai variety is best) sliced into small stems
- ½ head large or 1 small green cabbage sliced into pieces
- ¼ cup fish sauce (Nuoc Nam)
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- ½ kilo (1 pound package) Rice Noodle (Mei Fun), soaked and softened in tap water for about twenty minutes
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup spring onions, sliced into small garnishing topping pieces
Procedure.
- Putting all shrimp heads and shells in a small pot, add about ¾ to 1 cup water and let it boil under medium heat to make a shrimp broth. Once done, turn off the heat and crush the heads and shells with a food mallet to release their flavors. Save the broth using a colander.
- Under low heat, scramble the eggs into a light, thin pancake. Once done, slice into pieces and set aside along with the spring onions.
- Under very high heat and using about ¼ cup of oil in a wok, sauté the garlic until almost brown.
- Add the onions and ground black pepper and sauté further until the onions are beginning to caramelize and the pepper is fragrant. Care is taken not to burn the garlic.
- Add the pork and sauté further. Turn the wok to its side if intense heat is desired. The wok should smoke and not at any point should the wok become cold that meat juices start to overtake the items being sautéed. The smoking wok is a must to provide flavor to the final dish.
- Once almost done, add the rest of the meats which are sausages, shrimp and chicken livers. You may also add the carrots as this is the toughest vegetable to cook.
- Once incorporated, add the noodle. The stirring process should be done occasionally to prevent the noodles from burning and sticking at the bottom of the wok and this should be done by lifting pat of the noodle from below and placing it at the top. At this point, the juices of the stir fry are already absorbed by the noodle; pour in small batches, the shrimp broth while further sautéing the noodle by occasionally giving a good stir.
- Add the vegetables – cabbage, bok choy and wood fungus – stir to incorporate these with the noodle and lower the heat letting them steam though the intrinsic juices of the vegetables and the broth. Add the fish and soy sauces, further stir frying the noodle mixture. You may turn off the heat once the noodle and vegetables achieve their desired doneness.
- Serve with the scrambled egg pieces and spring onions on top with Kalamansi (or lemon/lime) on the side.
Tips.
- I cannot emphasize the use of high heat especially in the initial stir frying of the spices and meats.
- Do not add water unless absolutely necessary. Too much water can make a very soft and mushy noodle.
- Some other vegetables that can be used include: mushroom pieces and stems (from can), snow peas (sitsaro), rehydrated and sliced black shitake mushrooms and water chestnuts. A little bit of kick can be tasted using green or red bell pepper. Also, some would add sliced boiled eggs as toppings rather than pieces of scrambled eggs. Some, although more of a staple in Pancit Canton, would use boiled quail eggs incorporated in the noodle dish. If one wants a heartier flavor, pour some sesame seed oil in the final dish prior to serving.
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