Recently I just watched the movie Julie and Julia, a movie about the late American chef Julia Child and an ordinary American Julie Powell who attempted to do all 500+ recipes from Julia’s book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. As I was watching the movie, I felt how I really missed cooking and how it is really something that I still want to pursue it not only as a hobby but perhaps even as a career! I find cooking relaxing and enjoyable, something that releases all my stress after a long day. And the happiness and accomplishment you feel after completing the dish is just amazing. More importantly the smiles on everyone’s faces once they try and said that they liked your dish. So that day I decided to cook a Tsinoy delicacy, the Pancit Canton. Although the dish requires intensive preparation, try it out this upcoming Lunar New Year!

Pancit Canton, serves 8
Preparation time: 45 minutes, Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 pieces of small red onions, chopped
• 7 pieces of fresh shiitake mushrooms, cut into strips (if you don’t have the fresh ones, use dried mushrooms instead)
• 4 pieces of carrots, cut into strips (I used very thin carrots in this recipe; ; for this recipe, I used a grater to cut them)
• 1/2 lb of snow peas (make sure the tough stringy part on the sides are removed), sliced
• 2 pieces of chicken legs, boiled and deboned into strips (used to make chicken stock)
• 1/2 can of stewed pork (can be purchased in Asian grocers)
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 1 package pancit canton (can be purchased in supermarkets and Asian grocers)
• 3 cups chicken stock (best if fresh, but can also used store-bought ones)
• 2 stalks of spring onions, chopped

Method:

1. Have all ingredients prepared. The key is ensuring that you have all the ingredients ready before you begin cooking. Prepare the garlic, onions, mushrooms, carrots, snow peas. Debone the chicken legs and roughly cut into small strips.
2. Heat the oil in a wok at medium-high heat (if not, use a frying pan that is deep). Stir in the garlic and onions until golden brown – for about 1 minute. Mix in the shiitake mushroom, carrots, and snowpeas. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are crisp and tender.
3. Once fragrant and evenly mixed, add the chicken strips and stewed pork. Add in the soy sauce and white pepper and mix all the ingredients well.



4. Add the package of pancit canton. Be careful in mixing as the noodles are still hard and it might overflow in the wok. Add in the chicken stock and as you are mixing in the noodles, it should start to soften with the help of the chicken stock.



5. Mix the ingredients evenly and ensure flavors are distributed evenly. Serve immediately and top with chopped spring onions. The one thing to remember in cooking the dish is to ensure that you mix it well – it makes everything taste better.

Wondering why there’s not too much seasoning required for the recipe? It’s because of the chicken stock. If you have fresh and flavorful chicken stock, you will have a great-tasting dish. If you find it bland, season to taste. If you guys are interested, take the time and try the dish out! I’m sure you will all enjoy it. And if you did try it out, send me a photo so I can post it up here. Also, for any comments or suggestions, drop me a comment!