Recipe for Pancit Habhab or Lucban – Philippine Noodles Eaten Sans the Utensils

Definitely the most interesting to eat of all kinds of pancit is the pancit habhab or pancit Lucban, the only Philippine pancit eaten without plates, spoons, or forks.

All you ever need to sample this scrumptious noodle dish from the town of Lucban in Quezon province in the Philippines are good old banana leaves, springy mouth and tongue, and a huge appetite.

Neither table manners nor pretentions are necessary.

It does not really take a genius to eat this local Filipino dish.

All you got to do is lift the banana leaves with pancit habhab close to your mouth and let your tongue slide through the richly flavored pancit.

While care is needed to stop the noodles from ending all over your face, pancit habhab is not a pain to eat.

It is simply made of sautéed pancit, tidbits of pork, slivers of pork liver, and small cooked and shelled shrimps.

A mix of vegetables like carrots, sayote or chayote, and pechay or bokchoy completes the dish.

Oftentimes, this dish is drizzled with either vinegar or calamansi juice before serving to add more interesting flavors to its already full taste.

Below is a recipe for pancit habhab or pancit Lucban, the popular pancit from the Philippines eaten sans the utensils.

• banana leaves – cleaned; cut into rectangular shapes
• broth of pork and shrimp – 8 cups
• carrot – 1 piece; sliced
• cooking oil – 3 tablespoons
• garlic – 5 cloves; minced
• miki noodles – ½ kilogram
• patis or fish sauce – ½ cup
• pechay or bokchoy – 3 bundles; cut horizontally
• pepper – ½ teaspoon
• pork – 50 grams; boiled; sliced into tidbits
• pork liver – 150 grams; boiled; sliced into tidbits
• sayote or chayote – 1piece; sliced
• shrimp – 200 grams; cooked; shelled
• sitsaro or snow pea – 200 grams; stringed
• soy sauce – ¼ cup
• vinegar or calamansi juice to taste

1. Sauté garlic and then onion in heated cooking oil.
2. Add in pork and shrimp.
3. Stir fry everything until meat is cooked.
4. Pour in soy sauce and fish sauce.
5. Sprinkle pepper.
6. Stir fry everything for a few minutes.
7. Pour in broth of pork and shrimp.
8. Bring everything to a boil.
9. After boiling, allow everything to simmer for another 10 minutes.
10. Add in miki noodles.
11. Cook until the noodles become tender and until it has absorbed the broth.
12. Add in the vegetable.
13. Cook everything until vegetables are done.
14. Place the cooked noodles in a banana leaves.
15. Drizzle with either vinegar or calamansi juice before serving.

Copyright © 2011 Kerlyn Bautista

All Rights Reserved

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