Pancit – the Most Widely Eaten Noodles in the Philippines

By: Maribeth Duque Mallari

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Pancit Palabok

Pancit Canton

Almost always served from special gatherings to ordinary days and from restaurants to homes, pancit or pansit is the most widely eaten noodles in the Philippines.

Introduced to the Filipinos by the Chinese people, pancit has spawned tens of regional varieties in the Philippines, where Filipinos fondly eat this dish as an afternoon snack or merienda and sometimes a meal on its own.

Basically, pancit has noodles made of buckwheat, wheat flour, mongo bean starch, squash, or mash.

Sometimes the noodles are prepared with egg, sometimes without one.

They can range from fine to fat. Some are flat while others are rounded.

·         Fine noodles include bihon, efuven, miswa and sotanghon.

·         Fat noodles include lomi, pancit Malabon, and pancit luglog, mami and canton.

These pancit noodles can be sautéed, served with broth, deep-fried, or double-cooked.

Below is a list of the ten most popular pancit in the Philippines.

1. La Paz Batchoy

First concocted in La Paz, Iloilo, Philippines, La Paz Batchoy is a pancit that gets its flavors from the broth of pork, beef, or chicken.

This noodle soup has round noodles called miki, chicken breast chunks, beef loin, pork organs, shrimps, and vegetables.

It is often topped with raw egg and crushed chicharon or pork cracklings.

La Paz Batchoy is best eaten hot.

2. Lomi

Prepared with noodles made of fresh eggs, lomi is a noodle soup cooked with shelled shrimps and slices of pork liver or lean chicken meat.

This kind of pancit can be flavored with soy sauce, calamansi, and sometimes chili sauce.

It is very popular in southern Luzon, Philippines, particularly in the province of Batangas, where many panciteria or pancit eateries serve lomi.

3. Pancit Canton

Served almost anywhere in the Philippines, pancit canton is arguably one of the most popular kinds of pancit.

It is flavored with calamansi and soy sauce and topped with shelled shrimps, a medley of vegetables, and bola-bola or meatballs.

4. Pancit Habhab

A local specialty in the province of Lucban, Quezon, Philippines, pancit habhab is perhaps the most fun to eat of all the kinds of pancit.

It is traditionally served in banana leaves and eaten sans utensils!

It is made of sautéed miki noodles and topped with veggies, slices of pork, and shelled shrimps.

5. Pancit Luglog

Popular in Central Luzon and National Capital Region in the Philippines, pancit luglog is a kind of pancit that has hogged countrywide fame.

So well-liked is this pancit that its way of cooking has become a standard in preparing pancit in the Philippines.

It uses shrimp-achuete sauce, which gives the pancit an orangy shade and interesting seafood flavors.

It is topped with shredded smoked fish, shelled shrimps, hard-boiled eggs cut into wedges, and chicharon.

6. Pancit MalabonOriginally from the coastal town of Malabon in National Capital Region, Philippines,pancit Malabon is a kind of pancit loaded with seafoods and Malabon’s specialty – duck eggs!

Pancit Malabon is made with fat rice noodles and topped with shrimp-achuete sauce, shelled small shrimps, squid rings, shelled oysters, and boiled duck eggs cut into wedges.

7. Pancit Molo

The pancit that has the most unique look is pancit molo, which resembles a wonton soup more than the typical pancit.

It does not have long noodles.

Instead, it has wonton wrappers made from rice flour.

These wrappers are filled with ground pork, chicken meat, and nuts.

Pancit molo is served with a broth and is best eaten while steaming hot.

8. Pancit Palabok

Very much like pancit luglog, pancit palabok is a popular dish served in many Philippine fast-food restaurants and cafeteria.

Filipinos just can’t get enough of pancit palabok’s delectable, rich, and orangy crab sauce!

Pancit palabok is flavored with prawns, tofu and salted fish tidbits, pork cubes, veggies, and hard-boiled eggs.

9. Pancit Puti

Made mainly of shredded “white” chicken breast meat, pancit puti is the quickest to make of all the kinds of pancit.

Most of ingredients are pre-boiled and can just be put together really fast when a visitor drops in unannounced.

A great pancit puti uses a thick chicken broth from which it gets much of its flavor.

10. Pancit Sotanghon

A pancit often served only in special gatherings is pancit sotanghon, which is prepared with a slightly expensive noodles made of mongo bean starch calledsotanghon.

Sotanghon is easily recognizable for its transparent color, slightly gummy texture, and slippery consistency.

It is cooked with flaked chicken meat, vegetables, mushrooms, and annatto powder.