Homemade miki noodles, stir-fried pancit canton style 🇵🇭 (recipe + reflection) by Kat Lieu
An easy from-scratch noodle made with eggs, water, flour, oil, salt, and a lye-water substitute, for my dear Fam.
Bonus recipe by Kat Lieu © 2023, shared with her friends and supporters <3
Be sure to pick up a copy of Modern Asian Baking at Home or leave a rating and review because it will help boost the book, and stay tuned for cookbook 2 out April 2, 2024 <3
(Please do not share, copy, publish in any form, or distribute. This is for your personal use only.)
Reel for reference:
Intro and Reflection:
Dear friend,
I have a confession: I don’t love white rice, and it’s crazy because I’m Cantonese and we “sik fan” or eat rice almost every day at home. My husband and son are also “fan tong” or rice barrels: they heap up piles of white rice on their dinner plate and pair it with a little bit of proteins and veggies. Rice, for them, is life.
I’m all about noods, so send me all your noods, bruh.
LOL.
I love noodles of all kinds, though lately, I’m just not that into ramen, but give me pho, laksa, Singapore chow mei fun, and Shanxi noodles of any kind, any day.
When I got the opportunity to write about miki noodles from the Philippines, let me tell you, I went down a noodle rabbit hole.
Hokkien flat wheat noodles inspire Miki noodles and are often made golden yellow thanks to fresh eggs in the dough. Sometimes, turmeric or food coloring is added to make them extra yellow. Yellow, ironically (or gold instead), is a color associated with royalty, so I assume Chinese noodles are often made with eggs and yellow to appeal to royalty.
Anyhoo, I digress — I had to write about miki noodles so of course I had to make them myself for dinner. My husband is half Taiwanese/half Filipino, though he associates more with his Pinoy side. And he told me miki is pronounced Mickey like the Mouse versus how I thought it was pronounced, MEE-KEY.
He said my sauce needed to be a little more pronounced but thought the noods were great with chili crisp oil. Any time I make something Filipino, he’s not 100% in love with the food. Any other cuisine, he’s not an expert in, so he happily eats it. Men, I swear… always have this complex and will always love their mama’s food 100% more… though the husband does say I cook better than his mom, please don’t tell my mother in law… lmao.
Anyhoo, one more reflection — pancit canton sounds a lot like “pang sik canton” in Cantonese, or “Cantonese cheap eats.” It really is amazing how we are all connected, no?
Note: You can freeze your extra noodles before cooking them if you feel there’s too much.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
For the miki noodles:
400 grams all-purpose flour (for cups, know that 120 grams = 1 cup of flour) plus more if your dough is too wet or sticky
2/3 cups water + 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (I assume you don’t have lye water, so this is the sub)
1 teaspoon fine salt or 1 tbsp miso
4 teaspoons oil
1 egg plus 1 yolk
For the stir-fry sauce:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Dash MSG
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
Dash white pepper
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Mix well + 1 teaspoon cornstarch, if you like thicker sauces
For the stir-fry:
3 garlic cloves but you’ll probably add 6, chopped
1/2 inch ginger, sliced
Proteins of choice, about 100 to 150 g
Veggies of choice
Scallions, 2 to 3 stalks, chopped into 2-inch segments
For the toppings, optional:
Sesame seeds, white or black
Chili crisp oil
Instructions:
Gather your ingredients.
Make the Miki Noodles:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, water with baking soda, fine salt or miso, oil, egg, and egg yolk. Use chopsticks to mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it becomes a smooth dough. If the dough is too wet or sticky, add more flour as needed.
Cover the dough and let it rest for up to 1 hour.
Prepare the Stir-Fry Sauce:
In a small bowl, mix together the light soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, MSG (if using), chicken bouillon powder, white pepper, and Shaoxing wine. If you prefer a thicker sauce, add a teaspoon of cornstarch and mix well. Set the sauce aside.
Cook the Miki Noodles:
Roll out the rested dough on a floured surface until it's flat, about 1/6th inch or 1/4th inch thick. You can also use a pasta roller or maker to achieve the desired thickness.
Cut the rolled dough into long ribbons of your preferred thickness. You can fold the dough into thirds starting from the short side, roll it like a jelly roll on both sides into the center, and then slice the noodles and unfurl. Make sure before folding, the dough is dusted with flour. After cutting, also dust the noodle strands with flour so they don’t stick together.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and parboil the noodles for 2-3 minutes (using about half of the noodles for 2-3 people). Then, strain the noodles and set them aside.
Stir-Fry the Noodles:
Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil, and once it's hot, add the chopped garlic and ginger.
Stir-fry until aromatic, then add any proteins (e.g., chicken, beef, shrimp) and vegetables you desire. Stir-fry until the proteins are cooked and the vegetables are tender-crisp.
Add the parboiled Miki noodles to the wok and stir-fry, tossing everything together to combine.
Pour the prepared stir-fry sauce around the perimeter of the wok and stir-fry to coat everything evenly with the sauce. Add the chopped scallions.
Continue stir-frying for a couple more minutes until everything is well mixed and heated through.
Serve:
Dish up the Miki Noodles Stir-Fry and top with optional toppings like sesame seeds or chili crisp oil, if desired.
Serve immediately while hot and enjoy your delicious homemade Miki Noodles Stir-Fry! MASARAP!
A note about pancit canton:
Pancit Canton is a popular and beloved Filipino noodle dish made with stir-fried egg noodles, mixed vegetables, and various meat and/or seafood.
The dish typically includes ingredients such as:
Egg Noodles: Pancit Canton uses thick, wheat-based egg noodles that are similar to Chinese lo mein noodles.
Meat and/or Seafood: Common protein options include chicken, pork, shrimp, or a combination of these. Some variations may even include sausages or other meats.
Vegetables: Sliced or julienne vegetables are added to the stir-fry, such as carrots, cabbage, bell peppers, snow peas, and sometimes green beans.
Flavorings and Sauces: The dish is seasoned with a savory and umami-rich sauce typically made with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sometimes a touch of sesame oil.
Aromatics and Seasonings: Garlic and onions are often used as the base for flavoring, along with black pepper to add a bit of heat.
Garnishes: Pancit Canton is often served with garnishes like sliced scallions, calamansi (Filipino lime), and sometimes crispy fried shallots or garlic.
Let me know if you make these noodles!
PS how is your summer going? This is me, in downtown Renton! <3 in front of my fave spot, an arcade hehe.
