Pancit Bihon for Kulinarya Club - May 2010

I joined Kulinarya three months back. I had seen Trissa post a few club posts before I mustered courage and cleaned up my schedule to join the club. My first creation in the club was Leche Flan and then it was Empanadas. By the empanada month, I was suddenly struck by an epiphany; there seemed to be a lot of overlap with Spanish cuisine. I had a conversation with Trissa on this. It went something like this..

Me: Hey Trissa, not to sound ignorant... but, I just noticed that there is a lot of overlap between Filipino and Spanish cuisines..

Trissa: Yes, that's because Philippines was a long time colony of Spain {DUH!!}

Me: Ahem!! OOPS!! DUH! {note to self: GOOGLE before parading inner doofus!!!}




So, well, that's the story. In my defense, I had somehow thought Filipino would be closer to Chinese and other Asian than European and hence the forgettable discourse above. Thankfully, I wasn't completely off, as proven by this month's theme! :)This month, we chose to showcase the Chinese side of the Filipino heritage with the soulfully satisfying dish, Pancit.

I have to tell you, I have an intense carnal love for noodles. Out of the blue, an image, of me twirling noodles with chopsticks, pops into my mind and refuses to budge. There are times when I crave these thready, slurpy satisfaction so much I tend to display withdrawal symptoms if I don't get my fix!

My love began during my childhood in Bangalore, when we would eat out at an Indian Chinese restaurant, Rice Bowl, once a year for my birthday. I never ordered the fried rice, always the chopsuey which I would douse with the chili vinegar and spicy sauce. I loved it and I pigged out. I was happy at the end of a huge bowl of those flat thready stuff! :)



To this day, a bowl of it makes me happy. When cravings hit, the easiest and quickest solution is, of course, instant noodles, of which, there is always a supply at home. However, it isn't healthy or well.. nourishing. And, that's where the Pancit trumps everything. Easy to put together and just scrumptious, I may have just found a healthy way to feed my addiction! ;-))



Btw, don't forget to enter my anniversary giveaway by May 31. I will ship to any location in the world.






Pancit Bihon

2 rolls of rice vermicelli
1 small onion, julienned
2 spring onions, sliced thin
1/2 lb shrimps, cleaned and de-veined
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup julienned carrot
1 inch ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken stock
1 T oyster sauce
2 T sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
salt and pepper to taste

Soak the noodles in a cup of hot chicken stock until soft and the liquid has been completely absorbed. Meanwhile, in a wok, saute the onions, garlic and ginger until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients except the shrimp and saute until cooked and stock almost absorbed.

Add the shrimps and cook until they turn opaque. Toss in the noodles, sprinkle sesame oil and toss to incorporate everything. Adjust seasoning if needed. Garnish with scallion rounds and toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

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Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!

Kath - http://www.acupcakeortwo.com/

Trisha - http://sugarlace.com/

Trissa - http://trissalicious.com/

Olive - http://www.latestrecipes.net/

Caroline - http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/

Ninette – http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/

Peach- http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/

Cusinera- http://www.busogsarap.com/

Malou - http://www.impromptudiva.com/

Cherrie – http://sweetcherriepie.blogspot.com/

Acdee - http://acdee.blogspot.com/

Valerie – http://www.acanadianfoodie.com/

Sheryl - http://crispywaffle.com/

Divina – http://www.sense-serendipity.com/

Anna - http://www.anniesfoodjournal.blogspot.com/

Dahlia - http://www.energychef.blogspot.com/

Joy - http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/