Filipino Whole30 Eats: Spaghetti Squash Pancit

There’s a scene in The Godfather where one of the mob bosses tells Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in a kitchen full of mobsters that he should learn how to make spaghetti, because “you never know, you might have to cook for twenty guys someday.” Pancit serves the same function for us Filipinos.

No, not to feed twenty hit men (though I’m sure it has happened). But whenever there’s a gathering where you have to feed a lot of people on the cheap, out comes the pancit. With it’s vermicelli-like rice noodles, it’s a lot of volume that that can fill a lot of stomachs – even if a big portion of it is empty calories.

So the task for making this dish Whole30 is pretty straightforward: find a noodle substitute that 1) tastes just as good or better, 2) is Whole30 compliant, chock-full of nutrition, and all that good stuff, and 3) preferably cheap and easy.

I tried julienned green papaya first, since I had some left over from the time I made my homemade atchara. Close, but not quite. It was actually too crisp to pass for rice noodles. So I set out to try it with spaghetti squash, which I had used before for faux spaghetti but didn’t like (the taste combination was off; it didn’t go well with tomato sauce for me).

Ahhh, but what didn’t work as spaghetti worked perfectly fine as pancit. Just the right size and shape, texture, consistency – and really delicious in the role to boot. As my family can attest when I served it yesterday during Sunday lunch to accompany the lechon manok.

Pancit is actually a generic term for the many, many varieties of noodle dishes in the Philippines (some actually made from wheat, not rice), the way “pasta” describes a large number of different foods. This recipe follows the formulation of one of the most popular versions called pancit bihon.

Translations
Pancit (pahn-sit): Filipino noodle dishes
Patis (pah-tis): fish sauce
Kalamansi (kah-lah-mahn-si): small, very tart citrus fruit 

Ingredients

• 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 6 cups when roasted and shredded)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups sitaw (long beans) or green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch lengths
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 4 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
• 1 cup shrimp meat (cook or uncooked)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons patis
• 4 kalamansi or 2 lemons

Substitutions: The veggies can be augmented or replaced by a lot of other veggies, such as snow peas, chopped celery, and chopped onions or shallots. Similarly, diced pork can be added to, or used as a substitute for, the chicken and shrimp.

Instructions

1. To prepare the spaghetti squash (from Melissa Joulwan): Pre-heat your oven at 375 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Lay the two halves flat on a baking sheet and sprinkle 3 tablespoons of water on the sheet. Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the squash is al dente – cooked but still somewhat firm. Let it sit flat side up until cool enough to handle. Using a fork, scrape the flesh lengthwise to strip it into thin strands. Put the strands in a bowl and set aside. (You can actually prepare this ahead of time and refrigerate it, then just bring it out when you’re ready to use it.)
2. In a large pan, heat your favorite cooking fat in medium heat until its starts to shimmer. Sauté the garlic until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the beans and carrots; stir-fry until they start to soften.
4. Add the chicken and shrimp; stir-fry until they are cooked or heated through.
5. Add the cabbage; stir-fry until it starts to wilt.
6. Dump the spaghetti squash into the pan. Mix everything together. Season with salt and pepper and patis (start with the above measurements but add more if necessary). 
7. Transfer to a serving plate, garnish with kalamansi halves or lemon quarters, and enjoy!

Makes about 6 servings.

How this is Whole30
Nutrient-rich spaghetti squash takes the place of empty-calorie rice noodles, yet keeps the dish delicious!

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