10 Pancit Canton Recipe Experiments You Can Try To Up Your Quarantine Cooking Game

Pancit Canton recipe ideas

There’s several things that you’ll find in any Filipino household, and on the top of the list is Pancit Canton. Most of us can’t remember a time when the instant noodles didn’t exist – from having it for merienda with a cold glass of orange juice when we’d visit our lola’s house, to making it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner during broke college days.

But Pancit Canton is not just a quick dish you can whip up in 5 minutes – the humble ingredient can be transformed into creative Pancit Canton recipes that will add variety to your daily meals. Here are 10 different ways to cook Pancit Canton, which you can do in your own home during this quarantine period.

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Pancit Canton recipe ideas

1. Jjapaguri using Pancit Canton – ram-don with steak

Image credit: Kat Dionglay

The jjapaguri recipe has been making its rounds on the Internet ever since the movie Parasite became a big hit last year. These thick noodles in jjajang sauce topped with slices of steak were what the rich wife in the movie asked her housemaid to whip up, so K-movie fans in the Philippines also wanted to have a taste.

Though there are two specific packs of noodles – Chapagetti original and Neoguri udon – that’re recommended to make jjapaguri, Pinoys made do with what they had, which is just Pancit Canton. Its noodles are thinner than the recommended Neoguri udon noodles, but the flavor is still the same. You can even swap out the steak slices for wagyu cubes to make it more affordable.

Recipes adapted from: The Hollywood Reporter and My Korean Kitchen

Ingredients (for the black bean sauce):

2 tablespoons of oil
1 tablespoon of chunjang or Korean black bean paste
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of rice wine
1/3 cup of chicken stock
1/3 cup of water
1/3 cup of starch water

Ingredients (for the rest of the dish):

1 cup of vegetables such as chopped scallions and garlic
1 teaspoon of gochujang or red chili paste
1 pack of Pancit Canton
A potful of water
3 oz of protein such as steak or wagyu cubes

Steps:

Heat the oil in a wok, then add in the black bean paste. Stir constantly for 3-5 minutes over medium heat.
Add in the brown sugar, and stir for another 2-3 minutes.
Once done, transfer the black bean paste into a bowl and set aside.
Sauté your vegetables and red chili paste for 3-5 minutes until cooked.
Add in any cooked protein of your choice.
Add in the black bean paste from earlier, along with the rice wine, chicken stock, and water.
Add in the starch water to thicken the black bean paste.
Cook the Pancit Canton in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain, then add the noodles to the wok.
Stir-fry everything over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Lumpia Pancit Canton – wrapper-filled Pancit Canton

Image credit: Anne Gabey

Lumpia (egg rolls) are a staple at any Filipino event, and are usually filled with meat or seafood or vegetables. However, anything can be wrapped in lumpia wrappers, which make for many lumpia creations.

One of them is the Pancit Canton lumpia, which – you guessed it – wraps the cooked Pancit Canton in lumpia wrapper and deep-fries the rolls just like any other lumpia. This lumpia will even go with any dip you want from ketchup to mayo to sweet and sour sauce, since Pancit Canton goes well with anything.

Ingredients:

A potful of water
1 pack of Pancit Canton with flavoring packs
Any type of oil
Lumpia wrappers
Dipping sauce of your choice (optional)

Steps:

Boil a pot of water.
Add the Pancit Canton noodles in the water, and cook for 3 minutes.
Drain the noodles, then add the Pancit Canton flavoring packs.
Boil oil in a pot, just enough for deep-frying.
Put a forkful of noodles in the middle of the lumpia wrapper, and roll. Seal the edges with water.
Carefully drop each into the pot of oil, and wait until golden brown.
Enjoy with any dip you want, such as ketchup, mayonnaise, or sweet and chili sauce.

3. Omucanton – omurice with Pancit Canton

Pancit Canton omelette
Image credit: Lotty Gom-os Valenton

Pancit Canton and egg is a popular breakfast combination, but it’s usually just the noodles with a side of egg, either scrambled or sunny side up. This Pancit Canton recipe takes the dish up a notch by turning the combination into omurice.

Japinos’ Omucanton
Image credit: Japinos at Festival Mall

The Japanese omurice, which is fried rice wrapped with a scrambled egg or omelette, is a challenging but worthy dish to make. And this recipe gives it a Filipino twist by using Pancit Canton to fill the egg instead of rice. Not only can you mix vegetables and sauces with the noodles just like you would with rice, but the dish also takes a shorter time to cook too.

Ingredients:

A potful of water
1 pack of Pancit Canton
2-3 eggs
2 tablespoons of oil
Cheese (optional)

Steps:

Boil a pot of water.
Add the Pancit Canton noodles in the water, and cook for 3 minutes.
Drain the noodles, then add the Pancit Canton flavoring packs.
Whisk all the eggs together, then add one tablespoon of oil.
Add one tablespoon of oil to pan on medium heat.
Add half of the eggs to the pan, then spread them around to coat the bottom.
Sprinkle cheese on the eggs (optional), and let cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add half of the noodles to the center of the eggs, then use a spatula to fold the eggs over the noodles to make an omelette.
Repeat with the remaining eggs and noodles.

4. Pancit Canton and egg mini-cupcakes – savory cupcakes

Image credit: Charls Basco

Another innovation based on the classic egg-and-Pancit Canton combination are these Pancit Canton and egg mini-cupcakes. For hardcore pancit-and-egg lovers, or those who aren’t fond of sweets, these Pancit Canton cupcakes are a must-try.

Image credit: Charls Basco

The recipe calls for baking the Pancit Canton into cups, then sandwiching them between two fluffy baked eggs. This gives the Pancit Canton a different texture from its usual noodle form, turning them into flavorful bites instead of forkfuls.

Recipes adapted from: Australia’s Best Recipes and The Toasted Pine Nut

Ingredients:

A potful of water
1 pack of Pancit Canton
8 eggs

Cooking item needed:

2 6×1 cup muffin pans

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease the 6×1 cup muffin pans with oil.
Boil a pot of water.
Add the Pancit Canton noodles to the water, and cook for 3 minutes.
Drain the noodles, then add the Pancit Canton flavoring packs.
Mix 2 eggs into the cooked noodles, then spoon them into one muffin pan.
Crack 6 eggs into the other muffin pan. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the muffins reach the right amount of bounciness.

5. Pancit Canton lomi – chicken noodle soup

Image credit: Hannah Jane Comeso

Lomi is one of the most famous Filipino comfort foods, especially during cold days. Fortunately, there’s no need to go to your favorite karinderya or lomi restaurant – it’s easy enough to make at home.

The hot broth chock-full of noodles and ingredients can be replicated with Pancit Canton noodles instead of thick egg noodles that might require you to specially make a trip to the grocery store. For the toppings, add green onions, chives, garlic chips, or whatever you have on hand – with spicy chili on the side. The result will still be yummy lomi that’ll warm you up in an instant.

Recipe credit: Chef Ron Bilaro

Ingredients

A large wok
4 tablespoons of oil
1 large onion
10 cloves of garlic
Proteins such as chicken strips, pork belly strips, halved fish balls, kikiam, shrimp, ground pork
Vegetables such as shredded cabbage, grated carrot, sliced snow peas
8 cups of chicken broth
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
½ cup of water
3 large eggs

Steps:

Pour oil into the wok. Once the wok is heated, sauté the onion and garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Add in your preferred proteins. Stir and cook. The duration needed depends on the protein – halved fish balls, kikiam, and shrimp take 2 minutes to cook, while chicken and pork take longer.
Add your preferred vegetables, and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken broth, cover and boil for 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Season with patis and pepper.
Uncover the wok, then add in your Pancit Canton noodles. Also add in the dissolved cornstarch.
Use a wooden spoon to submerge the noodles into the broth.
Adjust the heat to low. Stir in the three eggs and serve while hot.

6. Payuda – Pancit Canton-filled pandesal

Image credit: Katrina Cu

Aside from egg, another popular pairing with Pancit Canton is pandesal. The usual way to eat Pancit Canton and pandesal is by manually filling the bread with noodles, but sometimes that makes a mess, with the noodles slipping out or the sandwich falling apart when you take a bite.

The Payuda bakes the Pancit Canton into the pandesal, so it makes the dish less time-consuming and mess-free, while still maintaining its classic flavor. This special pandesal also has a violet ring dyed on the top, similar to the violet dye we use to certify that we’ve voted during the election period, to symbolize the strength of the nation during this pandemic.

Recipe credit: Kats Happy Food

Ingredients:

A potful of water
2 packs of Pancit Canton
1kg of bread flour
180g of sugar
15g of yeast
2 eggs
450ml of water
15g of salt
120g of butter
Purple food dye (optional)

Cooking item needed (optional):

1 empty metal can

Steps:

Boil a pot of water.
Add the Pancit Canton noodles in the water, cook for 3 minutes.
Drain the noodles, then stir in the Pancit Canton flavoring packs. Set the noodles aside.
Add the flour, sugar, yeast, eggs, and water into a bowl and mix thoroughly
Slowly add in the salt and butter while mixing. Mix until the dough is sticky and soft.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes until it becomes elastic, then let it proof in an oiled bowl until it doubles in volume.
Transfer the dough to a flat surface and punch down the air.
Measure and cut 80g of dough.
Flatten the dough with your palms, then add the cooked Pancit Canton in the middle. Form each pandesal into a ball shape.
Arrange the balls on an oiled sheet, then let rest until they double in volume.
(Optional) Use an empty can dipped in purple food dye to add a purple circle on top of each ball.
Bake for 20 minutes at 170°C.

7. Pancit Canton sandwich

Image credit: Carlo Gonzales Guison

If you’ve already tried the bread-and-Pancit Canton combination, you can spice it up by adding more ingredients to the mix.

This recipe adds chicharon (deep-fried pork skin), cheese, and greens to the sandwich. It even uses focaccia bread instead of the usual pandesal or sliced bread. Since Pancit Canton tastes plain without the flavoring packs, it goes well with anything you’d want to put in your sandwich.

Recipe credit: Carlo Gonzales Guison in the Pinoy Midnight Snackers group

Ingredients (serves one):

A potful of water
1 pack of Pancit Canton with flavoring packs
1 serving of focaccia bread
1 handful of leftover chicharon
1 slice of cheese
1 handful of alfalfa
Lime

Steps:

Boil a pot of water.
Add the Pancit Canton noodles in the water, then cook for 3 minutes.
Drain the noodles, then add the Pancit Canton flavoring packs. Set the noodles aside.
Toast the focaccia bread until the edges are brown and crispy.
Assemble the sandwich – put in the noodles, the chicharon, add a slice of cheese, and sprinkle alfalfa on top.
Garnish with lime.

8. Pancit Canton patties – okoy Pancit Canton recipe

Image credit: Amalia Orense Palisoc

Okoy are deep-fried fritters usually made of glutinous rice batter, vegetables, and small shrimp, but this recipe swaps the rice batter with Pancit Canton.

Glutinous rice batter might be hard to find, which is why using Pancit Canton is more convenient. It gives the same crunch as rice batter and you can still use the same Pancit Canton recipe. You can even change it up and add any ingredients you like, or enjoy them plain and sprinkle on flavoring from the Pancit Canton’s own flavoring packs.

Recipe credit: Mang Jose Gaza

Ingredients:

A potful of water
1 pack of Pancit Canton with flavoring packs
2 eggs
2 spring onions
Cooking oil to fry

Steps:

Boil a pot of water.
Add the Pancit Canton noodles in the water, then cook for 3 minutes.
Drain the noodles and set them aside.
In a bowl, crack the two eggs. Mix in the Pancit Canton flavoring packs, then the noodles, then the spring onions.
Add oil into a frying pan. Then spoon in the noodle mixture to make patties.
Fry until golden brown.

9. Egg benedict – eggs, pandesal, and Pancit Canton

Image credit: Andrew de Jesus

We’ve seen Pancit Canton with egg and Pancit Canton with pandesal, but sometimes we like to enjoy them all together. And that’s what this Pancit Canton eggs benedict recipe does.

It may sound like an advanced Pancit Canton recipe, but it’s quite easy to make, especially with the help of this video. Cook the Pancit Canton, make the hollandaise sauce, poach an egg, then assemble it with the pandesal. No need to worry about the taste, since it’s a classic combination that’ll never fail. Optionally, add one fiery chilli pepper, Pinoy-style.

Recipe credit: Andrew de Jesus

Ingredients:

A potful of water
2 tablespoons of vinegar
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks
Garlic powder
Butter
1 pack of Pancit Canton
1 pandesal
1 chilli pepper (optional)

Steps:

Boil a pot of water, and stir in the vinegar.
Crack in a whole egg, and let it poach for 4 minute. Use a ladle to carefully take out the poached egg, then set aside.
In a bowl, mix two egg yolks, garlic powder, pepper, and melted butter to make a hollandaise sauce.
Whisk the hollandaise until thick.
Assemble the eggs benedict – plate the Pancit Canton, add the pandesal, put the poached egg on top, then drizzle hollandaise on top.
Top it off with chili if you want a spicy kick.

10. Pancit Canton pizza

Image credit: Orjane Cristobal

Dough isn’t exactly something many people keep in their pantry, nor is it easy to make. Which is why whoever swapped it out for Pancit Canton deserves an award for making our homemade pizzas easier to make.

The best part is this Pancit Canton pizza doesn’t require baking – just oil and a frying pan. The recipe is simple enough – boiling the noodles first, mixing all your toppings in, then frying it in the pan until golden brown.

Recipe credit: Orjane Cristobal

Ingredients:

A potful of water
1 pack of Pancit Canton with flavoring packs
3 eggs
1 chopped spring onion
1 small pack of Mr. Chips

Steps:

Boil a pot of water.
Add the Pancit Canton noodles in the water, cook for 3 minutes.
Drain the noodles, then set them aside.
In a bowl, mix the eggs, the Pancit Canton flavoring packs, and chopped spring onion together.
Add in the cooked noodles.
Crush the pack of Mr. Chips into a fine, sand-like texture, then mix it in with the rest of the ingredients.
Add oil to a frying pan, then wait until hot.
Add in the noodle mixture. Cook on one side for 3-4 minutes.
Pour in another scrambled egg to keep the pizza’s form.
Flip the pizza over and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Pancit Canton experiments to try at home

Grocery shopping is still a hard and risky task to do during this pandemic, and people are still advised to stay home. Which is why for your kitchen experiments, make do with what you have, just like these creative Filipino recipes do. Maybe you’ll figure out your own Pancit Canton recipe ideas too.

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Cover image adapted from: Kat Dionglay and Charls Basco