Enjoy A Taste of The Philippines This Holiday Season

As a child many of us have memories of Christmas trees, lefse and Swedish meatballs. As Americans we celebrate traditions from around the world. Emilyn Scheetz came to our part of the world to live with her husband on a cold winter day of -40 degrees in 2004. She has brought with her native holiday traditions from the Philippines. She is from the small island of Cebu, where they even speak a different dialect from the entire nation. She grew up with a dish of lucky noodles being served on birthdays and Christmas. As I listened to the stories of her noodle dish, which celebrate long life and luck, I thought of my own Scandinavian luck dish of the almond in the rice pudding. She now has many friends and relatives that serve her dish, which can be a side dish or an entrée. During this time of year, the special Sebuese Noodles are the dish that is requested by visiting friends, family and grandkids. The dish is as follows below.

Sebuese Celebratory Noodles - BamPancit Bisaya

3-4 tsp Oil (olive)

2 cloves garlic

1 small onion

Chicken or pork meat 1 lb

2 cans chicken broth

1-2 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 ½ cups cabbage

1c celery or snap peas

1 cup carrots

1 package Rice Noodles

In a large frying pan, after the pan is hot, add the oil, then sauté the garlic and onion 2 minutes. Add chicken or pork meat and a pinch of salt and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and simmer for 4 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, and soy sauce to taste, then add all the vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes. Lastly add the rice noodles stirring into the vegetables while cooking, usually 2-3 minutes.