If you’re wondering who “Ernest” is, he is a 17-year-old reader who posted the recipe for pancit canton in the comment thread of the beef laing entry. I’ve been using oyster sauce for cooking pancit canton for years — since I got the idea from a geeky cousin-in-law, Luigi — but combining oyster sauce with hoisin sauce sounded really radical. Just thinking about it, well… I could already smell and taste the pancit canton.
The best thing about this recipe is that no starch is added to thicken the sauce. That has always been a problem when I cooked pancit canton for a large group of people. As the noodles cool, the sauce either turns watery (common result when using corn starch) or too thick and sticky (it happens when using tapioca starch). Hence, a no-starch pancit canton seemed like the perfect solution.
You know what? I ate half of the pancit canton for lunch. My husband arrived at around 3.00 p.m. and I had not yet started cooking dinner. But the remaining half of the pancit canton was still in the frying pan. I turned on the stove, poured in half a cup of water to the cooked pancit canton and reheated. My husband finished it all and he doesn’t even like Chinese style noodle dishes.
The egg noodles I used are imported from China but I suppose you can use any brand of pancit canton — whatever is available. However, I do not recommend the kind that comes with powdered flavoring. You know, like Lucky Me or Nissin. The noodles are too thin and might not withstand the constant stirring in the pan.
Although Ernest gave a very vegetarian recipe, I thought I’d tweak the recipe a little to suit my personal taste. I added sesame seed oil and a little light soy sauce for more balance. And, instead of mushrooms, I used Chinese sausages. I also added a variety of vegetables.
I used a small bunch of Taiwan pechay (oh, it’s just another variety of cabbage but it is labeled as Chinese pechay in the supermarket) and onion leaves for my pancit canton. But you can add whatever vegetables you fancy. Variety in color and texture is a rule of thumb with stir fries but if you prefer all-green veggies, well, so long as you enjoy what you cook.
The following recipe serves two.
Ingredients :
about 120 grams (dry weight) of egg noodles
1 Chinese sausage (longganisang macau), 2 if small
1 small carrot
a bunch of Taiwan pechay (or any green leafy vegetable with a mild flavor)
about half a cup of cut onion leaves (1 to 2 inches in length is fine)
2 tbsps. of oyster sauce
2 tbsps. of hoisin sauce
1 tsp. of light soy sauce
a drizzle of sesame seed oil
pepper
toasted garlic
Cooking procedure :
Peel and thinly slice the carrot.
Cut the Taiwan pechay into 2-inch lengths, separating the light green stalks from the dark green leaves.
Slice the Chinese sausages thinly and place in a cold frying pan. Turn on the heat to medium. The sausages will render their own fat so there is no need to add cooking oil. Stir fry for about a minute then add the carrot slices and the light green stalks of the Taiwan pechay. Stir fry for another minute then add the dark green leaves of the Taiwan pechay and the onion leaves. Cook for another 30 seconds then turn off the heat and transfer the vegetables to a plate and keep warm.
Pour about two cups of water into the pan. Mix together the oyster sauce, hoisin sauce and light soy sauce. Stir half of the mixture into the water and bring to a soft boil. Add the egg noodles and simmer until the noodles are soft (but not mushy) and most of the liquid has evaporated. By the time the water evaporates, the noodles will be nicely coated by the sauce. Add the stir fried sausages and vegetables to the noodles, season with pepper and toss to distribute.
Transfer the cooked pancit canton to a plate, drizzle with some sesame seed oil and top with toasted garlic.
Then, enjoy the fruits of your labor. You deserve it.
Doesn’t that make you feel like being in the midst of the Chinese New Year celebrations? 
Hi connie,
you can also top with scrambled eggs. I usually cook them as thin as i can (or a bit thicker and slice thinly) before topping it on canton. It will definitely change the flavour and even look more appetizing.:wink:
“everyone eats and drinks but only few savour the flavour”
Confuscius
hi ogz, re “you can also top with scrambled eggs”
great idea.
or you can add hardboiled quail eggs.
Sassy,
Very good recipe. I used chinese brocoli instead of the chinese pechay.Instead of egg topping, I used fried cubed tofu. Thanks a lot.
Rudy
Hi Connie,
What a coincidence! When I opened your page and saw the pancit canton photo, I was like she cooked it too! We had it for dinner last nite, my daughter’s 4th bday and guess what, we used the same brand of noodles! Got it from a vietnamese store in France.
yummmm…… i’d prefer quail eggs… gonna try it this weekend…
maryosep…. ang diet ko!!!!
you know what, i’ve develop this habit to always check your blog first the moment i sit down in front of my PC sa office (i dont have one at home), nakaka-addict!!
kaya tuloy hindi matuloy ang pagda-diet ko….. ang sarap kumain!!!!
:razz:
Wow, this looks really good. I’d been wondering myself how to get that ‘non-watery’ side effect when making pancit canton. But then maybe it’s just because I’m still a novice in the kitchen.
Will try out this method very soon. Thanks for such a wonderful post!
That looks super yummmmy! I’m gonna have to go the Asian market and get some canton noodles and sausage.
Thanks for all the great recipes and pics, Connie.
hi!
can’t wait to try this as i still have chinese sausages from my trip early last year in shanghai.
well, i did it for breakfast today. my daughter love it so much, she even brought some for recess!
thanks again.
Rudy, cubed tofu sounds good too! Tofu with mushrooms… okay, next time.
JYGVA, Chinese products are all over the world, ‘no? And this brand is pretty good. Didn’t get soggy even after reheating.
brenda, diet-diet pa… hehehe we don’t really diet at home. i just try to come up with variety so we don’t go all-meat.
You’re welcome, zap and Dot. Have fun cooking.
Dear Connie,
Since I saw your blog, I really enjoy the recipes and even the comments. I’ve tried some of your recipes already, and they are great. My husband and the kids love them, especially the fish tempura. Actually, my husband who’s a choco addict is still waiting for the Most Sinful choco cake which I still have not gotten the courage to bake.:smile::grin:
My family are not keen on Chinese noodles, especially, pancit canton, but your entree looks so delicious I will try it anyway as soon as I get the ingredients. Thanks a lot!
Dex
Hi Dex, I hope this recipe becomes the start of a long and enjoyable noodle journey for you and your family.
Re the fish tempura: Why pay so much when they’re so easy to do at home, right?
Hello Connie – I actually saw your blog last year when I was researching food blogs and I come back now and then. I live in Holland and sometimes I REALLY get this craving for our food. I wanted to cook arroz con pollo today so where else to check than your blog?
I’m amazed that you have so many blogs and you’re obviously taking time with your posts, ensuring you upload pics too (which are GRRRREAT). What’s a typical day for you?
hi connie,
thanks for sharing another way of preparing pancit canton, one of my favorites. i like my canton with some shrimps though. don’t forget to serve it with kalamansi and toyo on the side, yummy!
al
Thanks, Kat. Re the pics » I looooove photography and food is a great subject.
Re typical day for me? LOL Toxic.
a angeles, “kalamansi and toyo on the side”
Yo! Pinoy na Pinoy!
The Pancit Canton look delicious. I might give it a try one of these days.
ok ok ok sinusumpa ko, pagdating ng sabado, magluluto ako ng pansit canton!!
teka, makabili na nga rin ng sprite para pantulak!
after stirring in half of the mixture (oyster sauce, hoisin sauce & light soy sauce) into the water, when & where do we use the other half of the mixture?
oh sorry tr, you add all the sauce. better edit that.
Hi, Connie. It’s me again. Another question na naman. I don’t want to sound like an engot but this really confuses me. Is there a difference between the dry noodles marked “egg noodles” and the ones marked “pancit canton”?
Yes, actually. “Pancit canton” has more oil and is really meant for stir frying. Dried egg noodles are preferable for noodle soups.
Made this yesterday-had all the veggies and sauces but out of Chinese sausage. What a great Lenten dish! A big thank you from hubby and me, Connie!
cook your recipe tonight.. kinda mess up with the procedure instead of 2 cups of water i put a liter.. silly me..my pancit canton turns into soupy canton..after draining it i reluctantly serve it to my children..expecting a big..”oh no!”… but then..
my eldest finishes 2 bowl. my youngest notice how the taste differs from other pancit that we used to have.. all in all they like the distinct taste.
made me wonder what more if i followed the procedure thoroughly..
i, definitely will cook another batch of this ..
thanks for the recipe ^_^