Vega learned to cook pancit from her father. Every time she prepares it, she remembers happy times together with him and her brother. Pancit Bihon is a popular dish in the Philippines and an easy recipe to make.
1/2 lb chicken
1 lb rice vermicelli or rice stick noodles
2 garlic cloves
1 medium onion
1 stalk of celery
1 whole carrot
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cabbage, sliced thin
Soak noodles in warm water for 10 minutes and drain. Add half teaspoon of pepper. Vega recommends adding freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Slice chicken into small strips and sauté in oil until fully cooked. Add garlic and onion and the rest of the vegetables. Cook on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add noodles and stir ingredients. Season to your taste with soy sauce, salt, and pepper. This recipe makes about 4 to 6 servings.
1/2 lb chicken
1 lb rice vermicelli or rice stick noodles
2 garlic cloves
1 medium onion
1 stalk of celery
1 whole carrot
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cabbage, sliced thin
Soak noodles in warm water for 10 minutes and drain. Add half teaspoon of pepper. Vega recommends adding freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Slice chicken into small strips and sauté in oil until fully cooked. Add garlic and onion and the rest of the vegetables. Cook on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add noodles and stir ingredients. Season to your taste with soy sauce, salt, and pepper. This recipe makes about 4 to 6 servings.
Lumpia. Big Mo's favorite snack and he'll tell you Cal Jam has the best eggrolls in Olongapo. Pong Dango, Cal Jam's manager and head chef, sent me this recipe. He said it makes about 30 pieces. The trick is to find good lumpia wrappers. If you have a Filipino grocery in your city, that's the best place to look for them. Many Asian stores also have wrappers.
1 lb ground beef
1 egg (separate yolk from egg white)
6 garlic cloves
1 medium onion
1 stalk of celery
1 whole carrot
Mix the egg yolk (but keep the egg white, you'll need it later) with the ground beef and sauté until brown; drain fat. Stir in other ingredients along with salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, then let cool. Note: not everyone precooks the filler ingredients, but it ensures that the stuff is properly cooked.
Next comes the hard part. You'll need thin lumpia wrappers. They usually come frozen so thaw them prior to preparation. Once thawed, separate the individual wrappers and place them on a plate. Take one wrapper and brush with egg white. Place a tablespoon of ingredients towards the bottom of the wrapper. From the bottom, roll the wrapper over the ingredients and then, from the right side, fold inward and repeat with the left side. This should seal the ingredients. Roll again until it's wrapped tightly. Once you get the hang of it, rolling lumpia become easier. Check out this video to see how it's done.
Deep fry the lumpia until golden brown. You can freeze any uncooked eggrolls. The last step? Serve them hot and enjoy. Pong recommends pairing it with a cold San Miguel. Mo agrees. Masarap!
1 lb ground beef
1 egg (separate yolk from egg white)
6 garlic cloves
1 medium onion
1 stalk of celery
1 whole carrot
Mix the egg yolk (but keep the egg white, you'll need it later) with the ground beef and sauté until brown; drain fat. Stir in other ingredients along with salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, then let cool. Note: not everyone precooks the filler ingredients, but it ensures that the stuff is properly cooked.
Next comes the hard part. You'll need thin lumpia wrappers. They usually come frozen so thaw them prior to preparation. Once thawed, separate the individual wrappers and place them on a plate. Take one wrapper and brush with egg white. Place a tablespoon of ingredients towards the bottom of the wrapper. From the bottom, roll the wrapper over the ingredients and then, from the right side, fold inward and repeat with the left side. This should seal the ingredients. Roll again until it's wrapped tightly. Once you get the hang of it, rolling lumpia become easier. Check out this video to see how it's done.
Deep fry the lumpia until golden brown. You can freeze any uncooked eggrolls. The last step? Serve them hot and enjoy. Pong recommends pairing it with a cold San Miguel. Mo agrees. Masarap!