I learned to make pancit from the Chamorro people while we were stationed in Guam. There was always a huge lecture about which noodle to use, and the winner was always rice vermicelli. No one wanted pancit (canton) with thick noodle, it had to be thin!

The limiting ingredient for me is always the cabbage – you have to use chinese cabbage – so when I get my hands on a chinese cabbage, everyone starts thinking about pancit. You can use whatever broth and meat suits your fancy, but we are partial to pulled Kahlua pork or kielbasa. It also needs to taste very garlicky and have a lot of black pepper in it. So, if you are making it without these key ingredients, it won’t taste right!

Ingredients:

– 1 whole chinese/nappa cabbage (chopped into 1-2 inch pieces)

– 1 package rice vermicelli (bihon) noodle

– 1 kielbasa (sliced) or 2 cups pulled pork

– 6-8 cloves of garlic (minced)

– 1 onion (halved and sliced thin)

– 1 carrot (julienned – just keep using the peeler until you have a pile of carrot)

– 4 green onions (sliced in half lengthwise and chopped into 2 inch lengths)

– soy sauce (to taste)

– 1/2 to 1 cup broth (approximately)

– salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Soak noodles in hot water until pliable, then drain. Heat oil in wok over medium high heat. Add onions and fry until translucent. Add cabbage and garlic and cook until cabbage starts getting limp. Add carrot, noodles, and broth. Stir (I use tongs) noodles to coat in broth. Add soy sauce and saute everything until cabbage and noodles are tender, adding soy sauce as needed (noodles shouldn’t fall apart, but they shouldn’t be chewy either). Salt and pepper to taste, but it should taste peppery. Add pre-cooked meat (make sure well-drained) and green onions at the end. Serve piping hot!