Learn to make authentic Pancit Canton through this easy recipe. These Filipino noodles, flavoured with garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce, then stir fried with vegetables, pork and shrimp are simply to die for!!

Take a look at another Filipino recipe if you are in the mood for chicken. This Chicken Adobo is it!

stir fry noodles with green beans, carrots, pork and shrimp

Filipino noodles with pork and shrimp aka Pancit Canton are very hot in our house right now. It seems that children simply don’t get tired of these salty noodles with crunchy vegetables, and neither do we.

Why this recipe works

Filipino noodles are quick, made with everyday ingredients, that are most likely already in your fridge and pantry, and they are FULL of good stuff! They are also pretty economical!

Apart from the noodles, you will need a handful of vegetables like green beans, carrots and cabbage as well as pork loin and shrimp to make a flavour-packed one pan dinner.

The great news is that the ingredients used in this dish to add extra flavour are minimal. They are also easy to find in supermarkets so you should have no problems finding what you need to make this for yourself.

What is Filipino food like?

To me simple and inexpensive are the words to describe Filipino cuisine. Or at least the part I am familiar with having spent a year living in the province of Isabela in my 20s.

When it comes to Asian food, Filipino food stands out for its short ingredient list and a lack of obscure items. It is characterized by salty and sour tastes and is very easy to recreate at home.

Pork and rice are big staples in the Filipino cuisine alongside fish and fried chicken. Add in a variety of vegetable stir fries and you’ve got yourself many options to choose from.

Interestingly enough, the food is NOT eaten with chopsticks, as in many Asian countries, but with a fork and a spoon. (Yes, I meant to say a spoon and not a knife.)

noodles with shrimp and vegetables in a while pan, bowls in the background

After I posted the recipe for my Filipino Chicken Adobo, it became pretty clear that you, my friends, LOVED it. And you asked for more of similar recipes. So today I come to you with another family favourite, and an incredibly popular dish in the Philippines. Pancit Canton.

Pancit simply means “noodles” in the Philippines and Canton-“Chinese”. A large portion of the Filipino cuisine is influenced by the Chinese. But after centuries of cooking it, they made it their own, and Pancit is a good example of it.

sliced cabbage, carrots and green beans in pan.

What is Pancit?

So let’s talk about this crazy delicious yet simple dish. Pancit is pretty special to the Filipinos and is often made for birthday celebrations. I ate a lot of these delicious noodles in my year in the Philippines as we constantly got invited to birthday parties!

It can be made with pork or chicken, with or without shrimp, with egg noodles or cellophane noodles (the clear kind, and my personal favourite).

But what remains constant is soy sauce-soaked noodles with a tri-veg combination. Carrots, string beans and cabbage.

In my recipe I used runner beans, which I sliced thinly, but feel free to use regular green beans or string beans if you can find them in Asian markets.

Recipe Tips and Notes

The recipe I am sharing today is my slight adaptation of a recipe that my friend, who also spent that year in the Philippines, shared with me. I changed the cooking method slightly, which I think simplified the recipe. I also added a drop of sesame oil to the dish. I’ve never seen it being used by home cooks but I could always smell it from street stands and in restaurants. So I am assuming it’s still authentic and if not, I am not apologising because it makes it more fragrant and delicious.
My version of pancit feeds 4 but could be doubled or tripled if you have a big enough pan! It is traditionally made in a large wok, so if you have one, use it!
Pancit canton has a number of vegetables in it that need to be sliced as consistently as possible so they cook at the same rate. I find that a mandolin makes this far easier and quicker than trying to slice all of them with a knife.
The dish will cook quickly so it is best to have all the vegetables sliced and ready to go before starting. There won’t be a lot of time to prepare ingredients once you start cooking.

Filipino Noodles in a bowl with a fork and spoon and a lime wedge

Serving suggestions

Pancit canton is a classic one pan stir fry, a full meal without needing to fuss around with side dishes. A sprinkling of sliced green onions does add a crispy freshness when added before serving.

These noodles are also usually served with a Filipino lime called calamansi, the juice of which is squeezed over pancit. Calamansi incredibly fragrant and delicious but if you can’t find it, serve with a regular lime.

Storage and leftovers

Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days if in an airtight container. I don’t recommend freezing as the noodles will become too soggy.

The best way to reheat is by returning them to a pan over medium heat. Heat up a little oil and add the pancit. Let it get hot all the way through and you are ready for another tasty meal!

More Asian Noodle Recipes