This recipe uses Pancit Canton Chow Mein noodles, an instant ramen-type noodle served dry, rather than in a bowl of broth. They lend themselves well to adding ingredients and making it a meal rather than a snack. They are a finer noodle than ramen. What separates them from ramen is that they include a packet of soy sauce and one of fat, and you add the flavor packet after you drain the noodles.
They are often made in Thailand, but are a Filipino item. You can source them online (see the link above) or in Asian or International markets. They are sold in, yes, the ramen aisle.
When I worked for an international importer years ago, it was one of the first times in my life when I got to experience my heritage. In the mid-2000s, it wasn’t easy to source things like this. Now? I can even find them in certain mainstream grocery stores, and with Asian grocery stores finally going mainstream, it has become easy. When I used to write about items like these noodles in the first years of TrailCooking, I’d often get eye-rolling emails about how I was calling for items that weren’t “normal.” Whereas my 14-year-old youngest son? He is obsessed with Korean food currently. That teen… he loves options, new foods, new flavors. I find hope in the younger generation – they are not afraid of new flavors. (My Dad would not eat from his heritage, so I did not grow up with it, and only started enjoying it as a teen, when we moved to a Navy town, with a large population of Filipino women and small stores.)
I cook for myself first. If I like it, I write about it. I can say I am OK with it not being the year 2006 and beige food-eating men trying to browbeat me over my choices. And honestly, this isn’t a wild dish by any means. It is meat, veggies, and noodles. It is simple food. With a slightly elevated flavor profile. Very slight. It has a sweetness that plays with the salty.
You can use regular ramen, but pack a soy sauce packet and some oil along with it. Also, cook the ramen only 2 minutes, so it isn’t overcooked.
Side note:
Want it a bit more? Add an egg or two cooked on the side (or in the middle of the pot after it’s ready). Freeze-dried eggs work well. Add a splash of lime juice (little limes carry well in the backcountry).
They come in other flavors, including spicier ones. The yellow/orange is the “original” flavor, and it is not spicy.
The ingredients.
Pancit Canton Chow Mein
Ingredients:
- 1 packet Pancit Canton Chow Mein noodles
- 2 Tbsp freeze-dried green peas
- 2 Tbsp freeze-dried sweet corn
- 1 Tbsp dried diced carrots
- Pinch dried chives
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 5-ounce can chicken (with pop-top lid) or packet
At Home:
Pack the vegetables and spices in a small bag.
In Camp:
Add 2 cups water to a pot. Add in the vegetables and spices. Let sit for 10 minutes to rehydrate.
Bring the water to a boil, add the noodles, and cook for about 2½ minutes. Drain off the remaining water. Stash the noodles in a bowl or clean freezer bag.
Add in the oil and chicken (you can drain it, or add the broth and cook it off). Once sizzling (on a medium to medium-low flame), add the noodles back in and toss well. Sprinkle on the soy sauce and flavor packet, then toss until coated.
Take off the stove.
Serves 1.
~Sarah