Saturday, October 4, 2014

Oodles about Noodles, An EXCELLENT Cooking Demo



There’s no shortage of noodle houses in the metro, fact is if you visit Binondo, Manila and try as many restaurants as you can, eating only noodle-based dishes, you  probably might  be able to build your own noodle museum.    

Though the Chinese were the first one to introduce it in the country, and have been claiming to be the inventor of the original ramen, lo mien in Chinese, Momofuko Ando of Japan was the one who came up with Chicken Ramen which had innovated into instant noodle cups.  In Japan, ramen have been said to be known as "Gakusei Ryori" meaning student cuisine.  


However we call it, pasta, pancit, noodles or ramen, we had to admit that it had become a staple food in Manila next to rice.  Noodles can come in a plethora of forms, tastes and yes, even colors.  The Italian pasta alone have more than 600 shapes that are being produced globally.

Last September 27, we were invited to take part in an event at  the Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy brought by Jeverps Mfg, Corp.  Attending was kind of like an eye-opener to us.  We thought we knew our pancit and pastas that much until having our senses witness what really makes well-cooked noodles in ways we could have not imagine.

The Naked Truth: What Makes a Great Noodle?             



Let me zero in on Pancit for now...

You see, there are 30 Pancit Dishes in the Philippines as listed, and 10 of which had been known as the most widely eaten noodles.  These are, La Paz Batchoy, Lomi, Pancit Canton, Pancit Habhab, Pancit Luglog, Pancit Malabon, Pancit Molo,  Pancit Palabok, Pancit Puti and Pancit Sotanghon.  I'm sure you must have at least one preferred.

Most of us Filipinos practically grew up with it, many have even celebrated birthdays or milestones with it as a pertinent part  of the menu, as it was culturally known to mystically lengthen your life years.

We as noshers, probably have not minded what particular brands were used as long as it was hearty and savory enough.  

On the said event, dubbed as "Oodles About Noodles," attendees were introduced to a leading brand which is approved by more cooks and chefs.  Excellent  is Jeverps noodle line with products such as Pancit Canton, Pancit Bihon, Fresh Miki, Macaroni, Spaghetti and Instant Noodles.  They were established in 1966 and they were said to have modernized noodle-making thus being a popular household brand.   

Aside from that, local restaurants, hotels and other institutions choose them over other brands.  So what makes them favorable than the others?

Jeverps seeks to cater to the discriminating taste of the consumers and making sure they provide them with high quality, affordable and innovative products.  

Excellent Noodles are made with a generous amount of fresh eggs, premium coconut oil and top grade and customized flour, as their key ingredient.   They are the only ones using coconut oil, believing that it is healthier.  Coconut oil boosts immune system, improves digestion, regulates metabolism and gives a distinct taste and texture to the noodles.


Their continuous innovation have brought about different noodle products.  This coming November, they will coming out with their newest and most unique,  Excellent's Hongkong Style Pancit Canton.

With all those said, next is to put the product to test.  So a cooking demo was held were they showed how Excellent's Hongkong Style Pancit Canton differs from a regular pasta brand.

 An Excellent Cooking Demo


Executive Chef Brando Santos and Chef Instructor Garie Quiambao of Global Academy Culinary & Hospitality took the liberty to do some action in the kitchen.   As they showed how Excellent's noodles have fared better than a regular pasta prepared in similar manner.  


Shown here is the pasta on the left and Excellent's noodles on the right.  Both were cooked with boiling water for 5 minutes, turned out that Excellent's are already al dente, while on the left, the noodles were still starchy on the middle.


Cooked for another five minutes, the pasta on the left had enlarged in size but were evident to look like it was overcooked already, cut up and mushy, however, surpisingly, the Excellent's looked and tasted just right.

To add to the fun, they used the Hongkong Style Pancit Canton to make Italian pasta dishes or rather a fusion of sorts.  



Vongole with Excellent Pancit Canton


Excellent Pancit Canton Carbonara


Excellent Pancit Canton Noodles with Tuyo Flakes in Tomato Sauce


Excellent Pancit Canton with Braised ork Humba, Bok Choy and Quail Eggs


To my amazement, this variety of pancit proved to be so versatile, sans the difference in the noodle's taste, which is a bit salty than the bland Italian pasta.  However, with the four recipes that were shared to us, which were all somehow manageable to cook at home, blended pretty well with Excellent's Hongkong Style Pancit Canton.   

To be honest, I have never cooked Pancit, though I have eaten a lot of them, cooking them made me hesitant with the fact that there is a ratio of water to noodles when cooking them.  I never saw myself cooking it, afraid to make just a waste of it, that it would either turn out under-cooked or end up like a porridge.  After the cooking sessions, I realized cooking with pancit canton isn't that hard.

I can't wait to share you these recipes as I make them at home.  And yes buying a batch wouldn't be as hard as before for now I have only one brand in mind, that's "Excellent!"


Thanks Chef Brando Santos and Chef  Garie Quiambao for a filling and fun demo.  Our appreciation to Jeverps Mfg, Corp. and Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy for having us on the event.

To know more about their products you may want to check them out at 



Stay tuned to our blog as we feature more of Excellent's noodles using the recipes given to us.

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