Pansit Canton and Bihon

One of my favorite Chinese influenced Pinoy dishes. Although I go for canton, but with bihon it is also fine with me. Preparing this dish is easy I think, just sautee the main spices/condiments add the veggies, put stock (chicken/pork broth), put to a simmer then add the soaked noodles (bihon) and pansit canton. Mix, add some seasoning, soy sauce, fish sauce and ground pepper. This one is topped with boiled quail eggs. This is usually served in many different kinds of occasions or handaan, in particular birthdays, with the belief that the long strand of the noodles will make the celebrators life longer also.

Pancit or pansit is the term for noodles in Filipino cuisine. Noodles were introduced into the Philippines by the Chinese and have since been adopted into local cuisine. The term pancit is derived from the Hokkienpian i sit (Chinese: 便ê食; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: piān-ê-si̍t or Chinese: 扁食; pinyin: biǎn shí) which means "something conveniently cooked fast."^[1] Different kinds of noodles can be found in Filipino supermarkets which can then be cooked at home. Noodle dishes are also standard fare in local restaurants. Food establishments specializing in noodles are often referred to as panciterias.
Nancy Reyes Lumen of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism writes that according to food lore handed down from the Chinese, noodles should be eaten on one's birthday.^[1] They are therefore commonly served at birthday celebrations and Chinese restaurants in the Philippines often have "birthday noodles" listed on their menus. However, she warns that since "noodles represent long life and good health; they must not be cut short so as not to corrupt the symbolism."^[1]

Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancit 

^ ^a b c Lumen, Nancy Reyes. (2005). Republic of Pancit. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism iReport, (1). Retrieved 2009-10-27.

Mantou at Sardinas

We used to buy mantou at the Sunday Market or supplied by our Chinese friend.

I recently discovered it the supermarket while scouring through their chiller. They have different flavors unlike what we get bigger and plain. But I find this mantou which is pandan flavor a bit thicker and not fluffy. I will switch back to the one with from our Chinese friend.

For this meal steam the mantou and open a can of bistek flavor sardine.

Kainan@Handaan. More fun in the Philippines! 

From wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantou

Mantou, often referred to as Chinese steamed bun/bread, is a kind of steamed bun originating inChina. They are typically eaten as a staple in northern parts of China where wheat, rather than rice, is grown. They are made with milled wheat flour, water and leavening agents. In size and texture, they range from 4 cm, soft and fluffy in the most elegant restaurants, to over 15 cm, firm and dense for the working man's lunch. (As white flour, being more heavily processed, was once more expensive, whitemantou were somewhat of a luxury in preindustrial China.)

Traditionally, mantou, bing, and wheat noodles were the staple carbohydrates of the northern Chinese diet, analogous to the rice, which forms the mainstay of the southern Chinese diet. They are also known in the south, but are often served as street food or a restaurant dish, rather than as a staple or home cooking. Restaurant mantou are often smaller and more delicate and can be further manipulated, for example, by deep-frying and dipping in sweetened condensed milk.

They are often sold precooked in the frozen section of Asian supermarkets, ready for preparation bysteaming or heating in the microwave oven.

TA similar food, but with a filling inside, is baozi. In some regions, mainly in Shanghai, mantou can be used to indicate both the filled and unfilled buns.