''Pancit choca'' is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

black

seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...

noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, Indo ...

dish made with

squid ink Cephalopod ink is a dark-coloured or luminous ink released into water by most species of cephalopod, usually as an escape mechanism. All cephalopods, with the exception of the Nautilidae and the Cirrina (deep-sea octopuses), are able to release ...

and ''bihon'' (

rice vermicelli Rice vermicelli is a thin form of noodle. It is sometimes referred to as 'rice noodles' or 'rice sticks', but should not be confused with cellophane noodles, a different Asian type of vermicelli made from mung bean starch or rice starch rather ...

). It originates from

Cavite, Philippines Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines, region in Luzon. Lo ...

, and is originally known as ''pancit choca en su tinta'' in Caviteño Chavacano. It is also known more commonly as ''pancit pusit'' in

. It is a type of ''

pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansít, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin, or the ingre ...

''.

Names

In original Caviteño Chavacano, the dish is known as ''pancit choca'' (or ''choco'') ''en su tinta'', literally "noodle with squid in its own ink", commonly shortened to ''pancit choca'' or ''pancit choco''. ''Choca'' or ''choco'' (sometimes spelled ''choka'' or ''choko'') means "squid" in Chavacano. ''Pancit choca'' is also known as ''pancit pusit'' ("squid ''pancit''"); as well as ''pancit itim'', ''pancit negra'', ''pancit estacion negra'', ''pancit bihon à la negra'', ''fideos negros'', and "black ''pancit''" among other names, due to its color.

Description

''Pancit choca'' is initially cooked similarly to ''

adobong pusit Philippine ''adobo'' (from Spanish ''adobar'': "marinade," "sauce" or "seasoning" / ) is a popular Filipino dish and cooking process in Philippine cuisine that involves meat, seafood, or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ...

''. First, the ink sacs (''lumot'') have to be removed from the squid without puncturing them. These are reserved for later. The squid is cleaned and diced into rings and sautéed along with

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

bay leaves The bay leaf is an aromatic leaf commonly used in cooking. It can be used whole, either dried or fresh, in which case it is removed from the dish before consumption, or less commonly used in ground form. It may come from several species of tr ...

, and (optionally) ''labuyo'' chili.

Vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to et ...

soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...

, a little bit of water, and the squid ink are then added and brought to a boil. Additional spices may be added to taste, like ''patis'' (

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, P ...

) and salt. The ''bihon'' (

) is added last with the heat reduced until it is soft but still ''

al dente In cooking, al dente () describes pasta or rice that is cooked to be firm to the bite. The etymology is Italian "to the tooth". In contemporary Italian cooking, the term identifies the ideal consistency for pasta and involves a brief cooking t ...

''. Some versions soften the ''bihon'' in hot water and mix it at the very end of cooking. It is traditionally garnished with crushed '' chicharon'',

scallion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, ch ...

s, ''kinchay'' (

Chinese celery Leaf celery (''Apium graveolens'' var. ''secalinum'' Alef.), also called Chinese celery or Nan Ling celery, is a variety of celery cultivated in East Asian countries for its edible, flavorful stalks and leaves. The stems are thinner than tho ...

), and thinly-sliced ''kamias'' (

bilimbi ''Averrhoa bilimbi'' (commonly known as bilimbi, cucumber tree, or tree sorrel) is a fruit-bearing tree of the genus ''Averrhoa'', family Oxalidaceae. It is a close relative of the carambola tree. Description ''Averrhoa bilimbi'' is a small tro ...

). It is served with

calamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is an economically important citrus hybrid predominantly cultivated in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra, ...

and ''labuyo'' chili (if the latter wasn't added beforehand). ''Dayap'' (

key lime The Key lime or acid lime (''Citrus'' × ''aurantiifolia'' or ''C. aurantifolia'') is a citrus hybrid ('' C. hystrix'' × '' C. medica'') native to tropical Southeast Asia. It has a spherical fruit, in diameter. The Key lime is usually picked ...

) or ''

biasong The micrantha is a wild citrus from the papeda group, native to southern Philippines, particularly islands of Cebu and Bohol. Two varieties are recognized: small-flowered papeda (''C. hystrix'' var. ''micrantha''), locally known as ''biason ...

'' (a type of papeda), may also be used in place of calamansi. Some variants of the dish use ''sotanghon'' (

glass noodle Cellophane noodles, or fensi (), sometimes called glass noodles, are a type of transparent noodle made from starch (such as mung bean starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca, or canna starch) and water. A stabilizer such as chitos ...

s) instead of ''bihon''. Others also add

mussel Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...

s or

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

, and/or cook the dish in shrimp

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

instead of water.

References

External links

{{Noodle Philippine noodle dishes Squid dishes Cavite cuisine

Names

Description

See also

References

External links