Simple Pancit Canton Recipe

At first glance at images of this classic Filipino dish, you could be forgiven for thinking chef and recipe developer Cindy Chou of Healthy Feels is being a bit free and easy with the word "simple" in the title here. But don't worry, this simple pancit Canton is indeed a fair name for this delightful recipe: It's really just stir-frying ingredients in the proper order and cooking some noodles, then combining everything. Okay, and a lot of slicing in the prep work. But you can handle it, and the resulting dish will be more than worth the hands-on effort.

But simple or not, what is pancit Canton, anyway? According to Guampedia (the island of Guam being home to a huge Filipino community, for reference), it is "a Filipino noodle dish with meat and vegetables." To be more specific, though, pancit Canton a traditional Filipino dish consisting of pan-fried sausage and shrimp, a blend of vegetables, a mixture of spices and sauces, all combined with traditional Chinese-style noodles that creates a satisfying, filling, all-in-one bowl meal suitable for everyday enjoyment, serving at celebrations and holidays, and for every day in between.

In all frankness, gathering the ingredients for this recipe may well prove to be the most challenging part of the process. But again, not to worry, because Chou has plenty of ideas that can make the process simpler for you. Ideally, you can bring together about 12 large shrimp (or about half a pound), peeled and deveined, a pinch of kosher salt, canola oil, about six ounces of sweet Taiwanese sausage, sliced thinly lengthwise, a yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced, a julienned carrot, cloves of garlic, celery, napa cabbage leaves, snow peas, oyster sauce, soy sauce, low-sodium chicken broth, cornstarch, water, and a package of pancit Canton noodles.

Got all that? Not quite? No problem! Chou says, "Sugar snap peas work as a great substitute for snow peas, and other proteins that work well in pancit Canton include thinly sliced chicken breast or pork tenderloin. If you can't find pancit Canton noodles, you can use Chinese egg noodles or Hong Kong-style pan-fried noodles."

Start off by slicing all your veggies, measuring out your sauces and spices, and readying the broth, water, and so on. "Because the ingredients for this dish cook quickly, it's best to have all your ingredients prepared and sauces, chicken broth, cornstarch, and water all measured out before you start the cooking process," Chou advises.

Right before you start the actual cooking, season the shrimp with that pinch of kosher salt. Now, heat a large cast-iron pan or a 14-inch wok over medium-high heat, then add one tablespoon of canola oil. Add the sliced Taiwanese sausage and stir for one minute, then add the shrimp and cook just until both sides turn pink (about one minute), then remove both meats from the pan and set them aside.

With the pan cleared of the meat but still retaining any residual oil and drippings, add the sliced onions and carrots and cook them for two minutes, stirring often. Then add the minced garlic, sliced celery, the napa cabbage leaf pieces, and the snow peas, and cook for an additional 30 seconds — be sure not to overcook the veggies here, or they will end up soggy and limp.

After 30 seconds, reduce the heat to low, add in one tablespoon of oyster sauce and two tablespoons of soy sauce, and stir for one minute. Next, using a slotted spatula or spoon, remove all vegetables from the pan and set aside, leaving the sauce in the pan.

Add the chicken stock to the same pan and bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, create a slurry by mixing one tablespoon of cornstarch into one cup of water, then add the slurry to the simmering chicken broth while stirring until they are thoroughly mixed.

Now add the noodles to the pan and stir while gently pushing down on the noodles with a spatula to submerge them — the noodles may look big in the pan but will cook down quickly. Flip the noodles with two spatulas or large spoons if needed, and stir them until they are almost cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed, which will take about three minutes.

Finally, add the sausage, shrimp, and vegetables back into the pan and stir to combine, then turn off the heat and serve your delicious feast in a bowl.