Good Reads Library
Pinoy Food at the White House--Too Bad It's For the Bushes
Laura Bush has done the only smart thing she has probably ever done in her life--certainly since deciding to marry Georgie Porgie. She has appointed a Filipina chef to be the Executive Chef at the White House!
I am not Pinay (Filipina-American), but my husband IS Pinoy, and all the women in his family are wonderful cooks. And from what I can tell, Cristina Comerford, the new chef, is a lot like my MIL in her cooking style. Nanay can cook Filipino food, but she also can make just about anything else you can imagine. In fact, one of the reasons I took up making cheesecakes is that it is one of the few things Nay DOESN'T make!
The Man, cynic that he is, comments that Filipinos have traditionally been known as excellent house help and that this is just more patronage. But when you consider this is the first minority chef, and the first WOMAN chef at the White House, I'd say it's about more than that.................
Anyway, in honor of the new chef, I'm reprinting the recipe for our family's version of pancit --a Filipino version of lo mein. As reported in February, we have made this for a number of parties, including SC's 10th birthday party, and people always love this. And if you want more on Filipino food, go to the Pinoy Cook.
PANCIT CANTON
1 pound boneless chicken breast (sliced into thin strips)
1/2 pound raw medium shrimp (shelled, deveined and cut in small pieces)
1 bag coleslaw mix OR 1/2 head green cabbage (slivered) & 4 carrots (julienned)
1/2 lb green beans (trimmed and julienned)
1 onion(chopped)
4 cups chicken stock
corn, canola or peanut oil
soy sauce
2 8oz packages of pancit canton (available at Asian food stores)
Heat oil in a large heavy frying pan or wok. Add the chicken strips and stir well until cooked.
Add the shrimp and cook until no longer pink.
Add the coleslaw mix, onions and green beans. Continue cooking, stirring well. Add soy sauce to taste.
IF COOKING NOODLES IN THE SAME PAN: Push meat and vegetables to one side and add 2-3 cups of the broth. Add the noodles to the broth, making sure they are well moistened. Add more broth as necessary to keep everything moist.Cover the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until noodles are cooked. Mix well, and serve!
IF COOKING NOODLES SEPARATELY: In a LARGE pot, bring chicken broth to a boil (for 2 packages, use a full quart of stock). Add noodles and cover. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then check for doneness--you will not need to do much stirring. When cooked, lift out the noodles and save the stock. Add the noodles to the meat/vegetable mixture. Moisten with reserved stock to your taste--pancit should be moist, but not soupy. Serve!
Garnishes: chopped green onions and lemon juice.
(The Man says you can add chopped hard boiled egg too, but this is plenty for me....)
