Recipe: The Classic Pancit Canton with Sauce (aka The Birthday Noodle)

Pancit Canton with Sauce

Feeling nostalgic for the days of old, I came across multiple recipes for making Pancit Canton and sad to say it seems that the traditional way of preparing this dish is beginning to be eroded by adopting more modern flavors and less tendency for the time-honored way of making it.  There is a sacrifice of the palate that is lost and would not be regained unless we make an effort to publish these and spread it to new audiences before they are gone forever. 

So goes the Pancit Canton.  It is true that while Pancit Canton somewhat resembles the Lo Mien of Chinese restaurants, I do not believe that the two are the same and hence the preparation of the two cannot be the same as well. 

Raw Pancit Canton is actually edible!
Parang Shing-a-Ling!

The similarities between the two end at the fact that both are designated as Cantonese noodles.  If one gets a package of egg noodles from Asian stores (known as Tsi Tan Mien in Mandarin) and the label states "Guangdong noodles", one would notice that they are dry and somewhat tough.  Get a package of Pancit Canton noodles from the Philippines (e.g. Excellent brand) wrapped in cellophane and open it, break a piece and one would find out that it is crispy and even edible to eat.  It somewhat tastes like the snack Shing-A-Ling, which a brand that used to be sold in the Philippines as a snack of fried albeit thick Chinese Noodles resembling the chow mien crispy noodles in cans being sold here in the US under the brand "La Choy".  In fact, as a kid growing up in the Philippines, as my mother would prepare this dish, my fingers would sneak in the plastic cellophane just to grab a few pieces of this crispy noodle and munch on it like Chippy. 

The difference between the two is obvious and therefore they are not interchangeable.  In fact, the Guangdong Egg noodle should be immersed in boiling water first for about three minutes prior to its immediate use, usually sautéed or plain mixed with some sauce and meat that has been prepared separately.  However, Pancit Canton, though can be instantly made soft by immersing in water, does not take long to cook and doing so would make the noodle mushy ("lusaw") if done so and therefore, the tendency is to soften the noodle in the broth of the sauteed meat and seafood that is already present in the wok.  This is the so-called "Pancit Canton Guisado" and while there is nothing wrong with this, it is somewhat removed from a more traditional way of preparing it - the way the Panciteria used to do it in the old days. 

Imagine a panciteria where the customers are waiting for the quick bite fast!  If one were to prepare the pancit before hand, how does one imagine its appearance 2 hours later?  This has been the dilemma of Chinese buffet restaurants here in the US.  Does one notice that the Sautéed Noodle (usually with roast pork known as "Char Siu")  gets dry standing underneath the lights?  On the other hand, doing an order of Pancit Guisado for each and every customer that orders it would be very tedious indeed. 

The answer is in the ingenuity of the Panciteria Restaurateur.  He realized that this delicate noodle need to be quickly be cooked but cannot afford being in some warmer that it would become dry.  Meanwhile, he cannot afford the vegetables to become mushy standing for long times in heat.  How could one have a hot noodle dish that is not a soup while maintaining the al dente noodle as well as the crispiness and freshness of the cooked vegetables?  After all, nothing beats the crunch of green snap peas to mix with the egginess of the noodle. 

Therefore, the solution is in the sauce.  I remember in the olden days when Pancit Canton comes as guisado true, but there is a special way of preparing Pancit Canton and which is recognized as the original way of its preparation and that is, it should come with a sauce.  Though complicated at first, in the final analysis, it saves time and better yet always comes out with a perfect bite, warmth and flavor.  And best of all, it is hearty with a moistness that is pleasant to the mouth.  

Secondly, historically, Pancit Canton as with all other Pancit dishes rely heavily on what the common tao could afford to flavor it.  Though yes, the shrimps were there, as the pork and the Chinese Sausages but it also relied on cheaper ingredients that gave a sudden burst of flavor for the buck and that is a dose of chicken livers. 

Shu-Xing, God of Longevity.
He used to be on the
package of a well-known
noodle brand.

Thirdly, there is a reason for the Pancit Canton being served on birthdays.  And that is, it is the traditional noodle of longevity.  With that in mind, aside from the Excellent brand which has the picture of a large shrimp on the front, does anyone remember the brand "Long Life" with the picture of the old man known as the God of Longevity (Shou Xing) which is one of the Three Gods of Blessings (Fuk Luk Sau)?  It seems that this brand is already off the market, but I have always preferred this than Excellent when I was making Pancit Canton in the 80s because of its tastier and heartier flavor.  But in connection with this noodle and borthdays, there are quail eggs in the pancit and usually these are colored orange and pan fried prior to its addition -- the reason for this is that it resembles oranges which signify good luck.  If one thinks about it, this is essentially the Birthday noodle recipe and it is made with the Pancit Canton. 

I searched in the internet about the preparation of birthday noodle, none in the Filipino oriented sites ever discussed making it with Pancit Canton, rather, the preparation is the Pancit Canton Guisado.  Surprisingly, there are non-Filipino but neighboring Asian sites that have discussed this although, again, with their very neo-Chinese take on the dish such as the addition of hard boiled chicken eggs in the dish.  And for what? For larger luck?!  But what is disappointing is the addition of some ingredients that are quite detestable in Chinese style noodles such as this recipe that has peanuts and peanut butter with the notation that one can use spaghetti rather than longevity noodle.  This, I believe, is sacrilegious in culinary religion.  There are recipes as well that call for honey.  Honey?!  Really?!  And some that resemble soup rather than a birthday noodle. 

Who knew she would be an icon?
Nora Daza

The Original Nora Daza Cookbook.

The saving grace of all this protestations is that at least in my research of Philippine cookbooks, Nora Daza's Let's Cook with Nora mentioned in her final 1973 yet actively printed edition, that the Pancit Canton is cooked in a sauce that is thickened with cornstarch.  Also, it did mention chicken livers as an ingredient!  And such is also in the first edition in 1965 mentioning that this is the definitive way of making Pancit Canton.  I know this for a fact, because my mother owned a hard bound copy of this book. Hooray for Nora!   

Who can remember this way of preparing Pancit Canton?  I do for my mother taught me how. And again, her mother taught her how.   In this recipe, I am going back to this classic with the importance to the technique and the flavors of old - a tribute to that mother daughter team, Co Bit vda. de Siy (1906-1987) and Justina Co Siy Lukban, my mother (b. 1931). 

My mother, Justina Co Siy Lukban.

And grandmother, Co Bit vda de Siy.

Pancit Canton with Sauce (a.k.a. The Birthday Pancit Canton) 

Ingredients. 

There are four parts to this dish.  

1. Toppings:

1.  1 bunch green onions, chopped

2.  2 eggs scrambled thinly and sliced as garnish 

2. Vegetables: 

1. 1/2 cup green snap peas, cleaned and edges trimmed 

2. 1/4 head small cabbage, sliced 

3. 3 heads Chinese Bokchoy, or Petchay or Baguio Petchay 

3. Flavor Sauce: 

1. 1/2 head garlic, peeled and chopped 

2. 1 medium head onion, peeled and sliced 

3. 2 Cantonese sausages, sliced diagonally 

4. 1/8 kilo chicken livers, sliced into slivers 

5. 1/8 kilo pork, sliced into slivers 

6. 1/8 kilo small shrimp 

7. 1/8 kilo of Chinese fish balls (He-I in Hokkien) 

8. 1 1/2 cup to 2 cups of shrimp broth, made by saving the shells and heads and boiling them with 2 cups water to boil and crushing them reserving the liquid and throwing the waste 

9. Some hard boiled quail eggs (number left to your discretion) 

10. light soy sauce to taste 

11. salt and pepper to taste 

12. cornstarch to thicken 

13. sesame seed oil 

4. Noodles: 

1. 1/2 head garlic, peeled and chopped 

2. 1 package 16 oz. size Philippine Pancit Canton Noodle 

Procedure. 

• First do the toppings.  Scramble the eggs and slice them into pieces.  Set aside with the green onions. 
• Next, do the sauce. Sauté the garlic until light brown and add the onions.  Continue sautéing until fragrant. Add the Cantonese sausages and continue to sauté until the oils of the sausages have been released. 
• Continuing with the sauce, add the pork and carrots next.  Continue to sauté until meat is almost done.  Add shrimp, livers, fish balls, soy sauce, salt and pepper.  Continue to sauté until mixed and add the shrimp broth. Cover to boil. 
• Once boiling, add the cornstarch to thicken.  Add the quail eggs with sesame seed oil to taste. Set aside. 
• Do the vegetables.  Sauté them lightly and add some water to steam.  Set aside when done to desired texture. 
• Do the noodles last.  In boiling water, dip the noodles and cook until al dente.  At the same time, a hot wok is prepared with oil.  Quickly sauté the garlic and add the noodles.  Lightly toss and set aside. 
• Assemble everything.  In a hot serving plate, place a bed of noodles.  Top with sauce putting some of everything: shrimp, meats, sausages etc.  Top this with the vegetables and the final toppings of egg and spring onions last. 
• Serve warm with calamansi wedges. 
  
  
  
  

Tips and Variations. 

• A hot wok is a must!  The smoke from the wok is flavor! 
• Well seasoned wok is very much preferred - this prevents stuff from sticking. 
• Most of the time spent in this dish in the preparation - the mise table - cutting, slicing, julienning etc. AND in preparation of the shrimp broth. The cooking time is relatively quick. 
• Some, like my mother and in Nora Daza's version, the vegetables are cooked in the sauce. The sauce would resemble "Chop Suey" or in Hokkien, "Tsap Tsai".  While this is okay, one wants the sauce to be always warm for serving in case one needs another plate for the guests.  However, one also sacrifices the vegetables becoming soggy.  And what if there are leftovers? One would want everything to be separate to decrease spoilage. 
• Coloring the eggs is okay but not necessary.  But it is dipped in food coloring either pink or orange then frying it to retain its color.