What to Add to Your Molo Soup

On my first day of breakfast here in Davao, I am confronted once again with something that always leave me at a loss in buffets.

Do you know the Molo soup? It’s a deceptively clear broth that is packed with taste, steeped as it were in a flavorful mixture of shrimp, chicken, ground pork in wonton wrapper and spices.  The name comes from its place of origin, which is in Molo, Iloilo.

The best thing I love about this soup are the slivers of wonton that add a surprising subtlety to its texture.

Usually, when I’m given molo soup in restaurants or in welcoming homes, it’s ready-to-eat. All I have to do is thank the giver, grab a spoon and dig in.

It’s a fairly simple setup confounded by buffets.  Which, with the simple introduction of condiments, complicate things.  

 

Seafood Pancit Canton

Presenting my latest kitchen creation, Seafood Pancit Canton!

The reason:  I wanted to taste test the new Barrio Fiesta Papa Boy’s Pancit Canton dried noodles I saw in the grocery.  *rubs hands like mad scientist*

Recap: what’s Barrio Fiesta?

“Barrio Fiesta” (BF) is a brand that started out as a restaurant specializing in Filipino dishes.

Years back, if Palabok was synonymous with Jollibee, then Kare-Kare and Crispy Pata only meant Barrio Fiesta.  The restaurant not only enjoys the patina of history, but continues to be a strong and popular establishment known for its delicious Filipino food.  It’s right up there with Max’s and Aristocrat.

Of course, those brands I’ve mentioned have diversified their businesses through the years. Although I didn’t know of BF”s new product up until I saw the dried noodles on the grocery shelves this week.

What’s pancit canton?

The pancit canton is a Filipino noodle dish with Chinese origins, sauteed with garlic and onions (a staple in many, many Filipino dishes) and usually has shrimp, pork or chicken as a meat base.  The meat can also be a combination of these three, thrown in with a variety of vegetables, soup stock and cooked chicken or quail eggs to make it even more special.

If you want to know more about pancit canton and other Filipino noodle varieties, clickhere and here to start.

 

Barrio Fiesta’s new pancit canton:

The packaging of Barrio Fiesta Papa Boy’s Pancit Canton tells you that it will taste like their restaurant’s famous pancit canton.

Honestly though, I don’t think I remember it to be all that extraordinary.  BUT, since it IS a BF brand, the probability of it turning out well was high enough to make me want to try it.

When I ate a crunchy raw noodle strand, I could tell the shrimp was there.  But the nice thing though is that the flavor was subtle and there was no ”fishy” aftertaste ( or malansa in Filipino). The taste of the noodles remained stable and consistent in my mouth as I munched, which assured me that there would be no surprises in the flavors I expected that will come together later.

Just in case you were wondering, uh, yeah that happens to me and other noodles I’ve cooked in the past.

I made the pancit canton with seafood as base.  However, I used fish tofu and canned tuna rather than the traditional shrimp meat.  I also only used oyster sauce for seasoning (no salt and pepper or soy sauce, etc.).

The reason I did that is because I wanted to see if the noodles had enough flavor for the shrimp taste to stand out in the final result.  Because if it did, then it enhances the texture and depth of the dish.

And guess what?  My tastebuds were very satisfied.  Next time I’ll try the original and pork flavor as well!

 

P.S. I forgot to mention that the packaging size may look smaller, but in the end the dish could serve a hefty 6-8 people.  So I think the noodles were packed tightly ergo, less air sockets.

 

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Noodles photo from Barrio Fiesta Papa Boy’s Pancit Canton on Facebook.