This recipe is my take and a healthier version of the Filipino favourite: Lucky Me! Pancit Canton, that’s the #1 brand of instant noodles in the Philippines.
These Vegan Lucky Me!-Style Chilimansi Instant Pancit Canton Noodles are simply instant ramen noodles cooked down and then coated in a savoury, spicy, slightly sweet sauce with that nice kick of acidity and tang from the calamansi juice (can also be subbed with lemon).
GROWING UP WITH LUCKY ME! PANCIT CANTON
“Ate, isang pancit canton po” (“Miss, one pancit canton please”)
“Anong flavour?” (“What flavour?”)
“Yung calamansi po” (“Calamansi, please”)
—Basically this was one of my earliest memories of eating Lucky Me! Pancit Canton noodles in school. When I was in grade school, the cafeteria served instant noodles that they’d cook for you and serve in a paper plate or box to enjoy during recess or lunch.
And yes it’s not the healthiest so of course my school (sadly) eventually banned selling of instant noodles to shift to healthier options for students but I’m glad I reached those days when you could still get some instant noodles for recess/lunch.
I grew up on Lucky Me! instant noodles, most especially these dry Pancit Canton noodles. Lucky Me! carries other instant noodles such as La Paz Batchoy and Chicken Mami that come with soup packets since these are noodle soups. But I personally prefer these dry stir-fried noodles more. There are lots of different Lucky Me! Pancit Canton flavours to choose from such as original, calamansi, chilimansi, extra hot chili, sweet & spicy.
THE INSPIRATION: LUCKY ME! PANCIT CANTON
Lucky Me! is a Filipino brand of instant noodles, most popular for their line of instant Pancit Canton noodles. It’s also the #1 brand of instant noodles in the country and has become ingrained in Filipino culture. If you’ve visited the Philippines or have gone to a local Filipino store even outside the country, you’ve probably seen packets of Lucky Me! Pancit Canton.
Lucky Me! Pancit Canton flavour preferences are really a personal choice. It’s catered to the Filipino palette so expect a lot of bold flavours and the use of MSG, but that’s what makes Pancit Canton delicious. Some people like Lucky Me! Pancit Canton as is, with rice (yup, rice + noodles!) or even with pandesal (Filipino sweet bread rolls). It’s a very cheap and affordable instant noodle brand that has pretty much been ingrained in Filipino culture.
Being a big fan or anything calamansi (Philippine lime) or lemon-flavoured in general growing up, I was of course a BIG, BIG fan of the calamansi and chilimansi flavoured ones. Lucky Me! Pancit Canton and other instant noodle variants were always a part of our grocery cart even if it wasn’t the healthiest because it’s become a comfort food here at home.
WHAT’S CHILIMANSI?
Chilimansi is basically chili + calamansi (Philippine lime). Chili + cala(mansi) = chilimansi.
So you get savoury, spicy and sour flavours from Chilimansi Pancit Canton.
Note: this is not the same as traditionally cooked Filipino pancit canton or stir-fried noodles, but the Lucky Me! instant noodles are similar to the stir-fried noodles in a sense that these are dry instant noodles that don’t have any soup like instant ramen or Korean ramyeon.
MY VEGAN VERSION OF CHILIMANSI LUCKY ME! PANCIT CANTON
Sadly, Lucky Me! Pancit Canton variants aren’t vegan so I usually opt for other local brands of accidentally-vegan instant noodles. But for me Lucky Me! is still the best (I’m loyal! haha).
So I wanted to create my own healthier version of Lucky Me!-Style Pancit Canton Noodles in a Chilimansi Flavour.
I served mine with some fried extra firm tofu or tokwa and a generous amount of homemade chili garlic sauce or chili garlic crisp, reminiscent of my high school and college days.
You can find my homemade chili garlic sauce recipe here.
In college, one of the default budget student meals I could easily get from the food kiosk in our building was some instant noodles and a range of fried food like siomai (shu mai), hotdog, tofu, or spam. I of course opt for tofu and pick between a few instant noodle options available, which the staff will kindly cook for you and serve with your choice of fried bites.
Then from there you get to finish off your noodles and tofu with some extra fried garlic, chili garlic sauce, and even some calamansi juice since there was a wide range of sauces and condiments to finish off your order.
IMPORTANT NOTES FOR THIS RECIPE
- Make sure the sauce is ready before you cook the noodles because you’ll want to immediately add the noodles to the sauce while it’s still very hot
- Using instant ramen noodles here is an essential (at least for me) because it’s the curly-type of instant ramen noodles that are distinct when it comes to eating Lucky Me! Pancit Canton
- Adding the freshly cooked noodles into the sauce immediately is the best way since the noodles will continue to cook from the heat and absorb the flavours
- You can slightly undercook the noodles since these will continue to cook down from the heat. This way you get nice and chewy noodles even after mixing in the sauce
PREPARE THE SAUCE
Make sure the sauce is ready before you cook the noodles because you’ll want to immediately add the noodles to the sauce while it’s still very hot
COOK THE NOODLES
For the noodles, I used these instant non-fried noodles from the brand Koka (not sponsored). You can also check out these other instant noodle options (affiliate links):
Using curly instant ramen noodles here is an essential (at least for me) because it’s the curly-type of instant ramen noodles that are distinct when it comes to eating Lucky Me! Pancit Canton.
MIX EVERYTHING TOGETHER AND ENJOY
Adding the freshly cooked noodles into the sauce immediately is the best way since the noodles will continue to cook from the heat and absorb the flavours
You can slightly undercook the noodles since these will continue to cook down from the heat. This way you get nice and chewy noodles even after mixing in the sauce.
Feel free to season with more sweet soy sauce or chili sauce. Enjoy immediately as is or with some fried tofu, chilli garlic sauce or crisp, chopped chili and chopped scallions. You can also squeeze some more calamnsi juice!
OTHER FILIPINO RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
- Adobo
- Tokwa’t Baboy
- Filipino Kaldereta or ‘Meat’ Stew
- Mushroom Tocino
- Filipino Fried Garlic Rice
- Filipino Lumpiang Gulay or Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls
- Filipino “Pork” Barbecue
- Crispy Tofu Sisig
- Tofu and Mushroom Salpicao
Lucky Me! Chilimansi Pancit Canton Noodles (Vegan)
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tbsp Calamansi juice or lemon juice , 20 ml (see notes if using lemon juice)
- 2-3 tbsp kecap manis or vegetarian oyster sauce (see homemade kecap manis recipe here ), see notes for sub
- 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp sriracha or other chill sauce of choice
- Crushed black pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt or more to taste
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce for colour, optional
- 1 tbsp neutral oil , I used vegetable oil
Noodles
- 2 bricks instant ramen noodles , around 70 g each
To serve
- Chopped scallions or spring onions
- Chili garlic sauce or chili garlic crisp, optional for extra spice
- Fried tofu in spicy sauce see homemade recipe here
- Chopped sailing labuyo or other red chili optional for extra heat
- More calamansi juice or lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Mix the sauce together in a bowl or deep plate. You can use a plate/bowl big enough for the cooked noodles so you can immediately just add in the noodles into the sauce.
- Meanwhile, heat a small pot of water. Once boiling, add the instant ramen bricks/noodles and then cook until still very chewy and have a good bite. Drain the noodles from the water and immediately transfer to the bowl/plate of sauce.
- Mix the noodles and sauce well. Feel free to season with more sweet soy sauce or chili sauce. Enjoy immediately as is or with some fried tofu, chilli garlic sauce or crisp, chopped chili and chopped scallions. You can also squeeze some more calamnsi juice!
Notes
Lemon Juice
- Calamansi has a stronger kick compared to lemons so I would recommend using 2.5 tbsp lemon juice for more acidity.
Kecap Manis/Sweet Soy Sauce
- I used sweet soy sauce here since it has a thicker and syrupy consistency compared to regular soy sauce. If you don’t have kecap manis, you can opt to use 2-3 tbsp of vegetarian stir-fry sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce and 1/2 tbsp sugar or sweetener of choice. Feel free to adjust to your desired sweetness.
IMPORTANT
- Make sure the sauce is ready before you cook the noodles because you’ll want to immediately add the noodles to the sauce while it’s still very hot.
- Using instant ramen noodles here is an essential (at least for me) because it’s the curly-type of instant ramen noodles that are distinct when it comes to eating Lucky Me! Pancit Canton.
- Adding the freshly cooked noodles into the sauce immediately is the best way since the noodles will continue to cook from the heat and absorb the flavours
- You can slightly undercook the noodles since these will continue to cook down from the heat. This way you get nice and chewy noodles even after mixing in the sauce
NUTRITIONAL INFO
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