Folklorama: Pancit and Deep-Fried 5-Spice Chicken

Pancit

The Japan Pavilion and the Seoul Pavilion were not the only Asian Pavilions sharing their culture during the 1980 Folklorama.

There was also a pavilion from the Philippines, as well as two pavilions from China.

The Chinese Pavilion, sponsored by the Chinese Benevolent Association of Manitoba, only posted a greeting without a recipe, while the Cathay Pavilion had a writeup and a chicken recipe.

So we’ll get to know the Philippines and Cathay in this post. 

Sponsored by the Philippine Association of Manitoba, the Philippine Pavilion, at 1720 Fleet Street, wished everyone Maligayang Pagdalo - Happy Attendance!

Their piece started by saying:

This tropical pavilion offers warm-hearted hospitality, colour and excitement.

There were Philippine handicrafts on display: delicate wood carvings, bamboo baskets, and embroidered gowns.

The entertainment focused on the Philippine Folk Dancers, who did dances ranging from those with a romantic Spanish influence to those with a bit more energy.

The steaming dishes of adobo, lumpa, leche flan and pancit, accompanied by the San Miguel beer, were the main attraction.

The Cathay Pavilion was sponsored by the Institute of Chinese Language, Culture, and Arts Incorporated, and took place at General Wolf School at 661 Banning Street.

The classrooms were handy for all the displays they had: authentic and replica Chinese artifacts, carved ivory, porcelain sculptures, Chinese costumes, embroideries, paintings, 'self works', cloissone, postage stamps, and folkcraft paper cutting.

The entertainment included songs and classical dances from different regions of China.

There was a wide choice of drinks: Chinese liqueur, liquor, wine and beer, Mau Tai, Lychee wine, and Chu Yeh Ching, as well as domestic alcoholic beverages. 

Soft drinks and Chinese teas were also available.

The menu included familiar favourites, such as won-ton, fried rice, chow-mein, spring rolls, and ‘meat dishes with subtle oriental spices’, as well as fortune and almond cookies, and dim-sum.

In the current Folklorama50 brochure we now have a Pearl of the Orient Philippine Pavilion as well as a Chinese Pavilion, which is being sponsored by the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre.

I don't know what happened to the other two sponsors.

Probably best to not ask too many questions.

Hints:

Accent is a brand name for MSG.

The recipe for pancit didn’t mention how to prepare the noodles.

I’ve lived in Winnipeg for 44 years and have enjoyed many different recipes for pancit which, over the years, has become a potluck staple in Winnipeg.

Everyone has a favourite variation and they’re all good.

If you don’t have exactly the same ingredients, or a little more or less of an ingredient or two, feel free to create your own variation.

Back to the noodles…

Bihon is the Filipino word for rice sticks, rice vermicelli, or rice noodles.

Soak the dry noodles in warm water for about 5 to 10 minutes before cooking to remove the starch and to soften the noodles before stir-frying.

After they are soft, drain them in a colander.

They will still bit a bit stiff.

Pancit leftovers can be refrigerated, covered, for a couple of days. 

You can reheat it in a microwave or in a skillet.

When frying the chicken for the Deep-Fried 5-Spice recipe, don’t crowd the pot.

Better to cook in two, or three, or more batches, depending on the size of your pot.

                        Pancit

Leaving the tail, fillet 

1/2 pound shrimp

Place each of the following in a small bowl

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 egg white

Dip the shrimp in the cornstarch, then the egg white and set aside.

Slice 

1 chicken breast

Coat with cornstarch and set aside.

Place in a large pot

2 Tablespoons oil

Heat over high heat and add

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, chopped

1/2 pound lean pork, sliced

5 chicken livers

the prepared shrimp and chicken

Season with

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon Accent

2 Tablespoons soya sauce

Pour in 

1 1/2 Cups chicken broth

Bring to a boil and add

1 carrot, in long strips

1 head cauliflower, chopped

4 cabbage leaves, shredded

1/4 Cup pea pods

1/3 Cup chives

Simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Combine in a small bowl

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 Cup water

Stir into the mixture.

Add

1 package rice noodles or dried Chinese noodles (see above)

                        Deep-Fried 5-Spice Chicken 

Cut into bite-size pieces

1 chicken (2 2/3 pounds)

Place the meat in a large bowl.

Combine in a medium bowl

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon MSG

1 teaspoon sugar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon 5-spice powder

1 Tablespoon rice wine

2 slices ginger root

2 stalks green onion

Pour over the chicken and let stand for 30 minutes.

Remove the ginger slices and onion stalks.

Place in a clean, dry medium bowl

4 Tablespoons cornstarch

Beat in another medium bowl

1 egg yolk

Dip each piece of chicken in the egg yolk and then in the cornstarch.

Set aside.

Heat, over medium heat, in a large heavy pot or wok

6 cups oil

Deep-fry the chicken pieces for 4 minutes.

Remove the chicken and heat the oil until very hot.

Add the chicken pieces and deep-fry an additional minute.

Remove the chicken, drain and place on serving plate.

Serve with salt.