Submitted by nicole on Fri, 01/24/2014 - 20:07

Follow this easy pancit recipe to make delicious pancit Canton, a one-pot, amazingly fast and flavorful Filipino noodle dish.

Recipe for making pancit canton, a Filipino one-pot noodle dish with pork and vegetables.

It's one of the recipes we learned to make when we lived in the Philippines, and it's a wonderful, one-pot (fewer dishes!) noodle dish, kind of like the Filipino version of Lo Mein noodles. This pancit recipe is made with the wheat based pancit canton noodles.

Pancit Canton:

Name: Pancit Canton : Fabulous Filipino One Pot Noodle Dish
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 1 package pancit Canton noodles; 1 small pork tenderloin, cut into small pieces; 1/2 a head of cabbage, chopped; 1/2 an onion, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 carrot, cut into small strips; 1/2 cup chicken broth; soy sauce to taste

1 package pancit Canton noodles
pork tenderloin, cut into small pieces
1/2 a head of cabbage, chopped
1/2 an onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, cut into small strips
1/2 cup chicken broth
soy sauce to taste

Package of pancit Canton wheat noodles for making homemade pancit, a Filipino noodle dish.

The only thing that's a little tricky to find are the pancit noodles. They're sold dry, and on the shelf at most Asian markets. If you don't have a market near you, they are available online, though specialty realtors and event through Amazon. Otherwise, everything else can be found at any grocery store.

What are the Different Kinds of Pancit?

There are two main kinds of pancit: Pancit Canton and Pancit Bihon. The difference is in the type of noodle.
Pancit Canton noodles are a wheat-based noodle.
Pancit Bihon noodles are rice noodles, and are thinner, too. Both are delicious!

Pork and onions cooking in a large metal pot for the Pancit Canton.

Start by cooking the pork tenderloin and diced onions in a large (VERY LARGE) pot with a bit of oil. Cook on high heat until the pork is cooked through and the onions are translucent. Put the pork and onions aside in a bowl, to be added back to the pot later.

Large pot being deglazed with chicken broth.

Deglaze with about a half a cup of chicken stock. You could really use anything, but I always have chicken stock on hand, so that's what I typically use.

Large pot being deglazed with chicken broth.

Scrape up all those glorious browned bits of pork that got stuck to the bottom.

Half a cabbage cut into wedges on a cutting board.

Toss in the minced garlic, chopped cabbage, and carrots. Honestly, I usually just buy a big bag of coleslaw mix at Sam's club and use half of that. So easy, and it's already got all the cabbage and carrots finely chopped! I hate cutting carrots so much that if I have to do it by hand, I generally just leave them out. Cook the vegetables in the pan with the broth until they start to soften (but aren't completely cooked yet--about halfway done).

Pancit canton noodles being softened in a bowl of hot water.

In the meantime, soak the pancit noodles in hot tap water. Not boiling--just as hot as your sink will get.

How Long do you Soak Pancit Noodles?

Soak for about 3 minutes. You want the noodles to soften, but not completely. Aim for about halfway done.

Pancit canton being cooked in a large pot on the stove.

Drain the pancit noodles, and add to the large pot with the vegetables. Add the pork and garlic back in. Add soy sauce liberally, until the noodles are brown. Stir to combine the ingredients, and put a lid on the pot to let the veggies and noodles steam for a couple more minutes.

Pancit Canton with pork and pancit noodles in a green bowl, garnished with a lemon wedge.

Traditionally, this is served with calamansi (a kind of citrus commonly used in the Philippines). Calamansi is delicious, and kind of tastes like a tart blend of tangerines and limes. I even planted a calamansi tree in the backyard, but alas, it's not calamansi season here. It is, however, lemon season. If you can't find calamansi (and you probably can't; it's hard to find), squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the noodles just before eating. It's not the same, but it's close!

Foil caterer's tray filled with pancit canton and orange chicken.