Jeepney’s Pancit Guisado

Welcome to another tasty edition of Chefs Share! Each month, we share a home chef-friendly recipe from one of Miami’s culinary stars. If you’ve never worked in a professional kitchen before, don’t worry: These recipes do not require any formal experience, and the ingredients can be found at your local specialty store or supermarket.

This month’s recipe comes from chef Nicole Ponseca of Jeepney, a beloved Filipino eatery inside Wynwood’s 1-800-Lucky food hall, located at 143 NW 23rd St. She’s sharing the secrets behind her popular pancit guisado, which has a lot of history to it.

“For many, the first taste of Filipino food is actually Chinese influenced, such as the one of many noodle stir-fries known as pancit,” said Ponseca. “This makes sense when you realize that the arrival of Chinese traders in the Philippines predates Spanish occupation by at least 500 years, which had a significant impact on our earliest recipes.”

Before you get started, read the whole recipe to avoid any surprises. Substitutions have been provided in case you run into any issues securing the ingredients. With that said, let’s get cooking.

PANCIT GUISADO

Servings/Yield: 8-10

INGREDIENTS

·     1 tablespoon vegetable or grapeseed oil

·     1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon red onion, minced

·     1 tablespoon minced garlic

·     1 teaspoon minced chili (such as Thai or other chilies, depending on preferred spice level)

·     1/2 cup cooked chicken, pork or shrimp

·     1 tablespoon unsalted butter

·     4 ounces shredded carrots

·     4 ounces shredded red cabbage

·     4 ounces black dried wood ear mushrooms (rehydrated) or fresh mushroom of your choice

·     4 ounces scallions

·     1/2 cup chicken stock

·     1 pint noodles, half Canton and half bihon*, presoaked 5-8 minutes in warm water

·     6 ounces pancit sauce (1 teaspoon each fish sauce, soy sauce and oyster sauce)

·     Soft boiled egg, sliced, for garnish

·     Lemon wedges for garnish

·     1 tablespoon chopped cilantro for garnish

·     Black pepper

·     1 tablespoon crispy shallots for garnish

* Noodles can be found in Asian specialty stores. Chow mein noodles can be swapped in for Canton; Vietnamese vermicelli noodles can be swapped in for bihon.

PREPARATION

·     Heat wok or large pan; wait for smoke point then pour in oil.

·     Add onions, stirring constantly until browned, about 1 minute.

·     Add garlic and chili, stirring constantly until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute.

·     Add choice of protein, stirring constantly to heat and sear, about 2 minutes.

·     Add butter, stirring constantly until melted, about 1 minute.

·     Add carrots, cabbage, mushrooms and scallions; stir and cook about 2 minutes.

·     Add chicken stock and noodles and cook until sauce is reduced, about 3 minutes, then mix in pancit sauce.

·     Plate and garnish with soft boiled egg, lemon wedges and cilantro; sprinkle generously with black pepper and crispy shallots.