Cornstarch Noodles (luglug) Often labeled pancit luglug, these round, thick, white-colored noodles are sold dried. After being cooked, they should be drained under running water to wash away excess starch. If the noodles are not rinsed after cooking, they will stick together.
Mung Bean Thread Noodles (sotanghon) These dried and white-colored noodles go by several names: “cellophane noodles,” “Chinese vermicelli,” “glass noodles.” Mung bean thread noodles need to be soaked in water before they are added to the pan. The noodles turn transparent when cooked. They can be stir-fried or cooked in soups (no need to soak them then).
Rice Vermicelli (bihon) Also known as “rice thread noodles,” are thin, dried noodles that do not turn transparent when cooked. Rice vermicelli is first soaked in water to soften before being added to the pan.
Wheat Noodles are commonly available in four types:
Canton Noodles These dried, round noodles are yellow-colored—either from eggs, which they are often made with, or from the addition of yellow food coloring. Canton noodles may be quickly dunked in hot water to soften or added at the last minute to a pan, as these noodles cook easily, despite their thick girth. This noodle is a good choice for stir-fried dishes.
Mami Noodles are normally made of wheat flour and egg. They are thin, often dried, and yellow-colored. Try to avoid using the imitation mami noodles that use yellow food coloring rather than eggs to obtain their yellow coloring. One popular story tells of the origin of mami. A Chinese entrepreneur named Ma Mon Luk promoted his noodle soup by calling out “Mami!” (“Ma” is his name and mi or mee is Chinese for noodles). Hence, mami has come to be associated with any type of hot noodle soup.
Miki Noodles are thick, wide and normally flat noodles that are yellow colored. They are a perfect noodle for soups. They are sometimes also called “Shanghai noodles.”
Misua, also spelled mee sua or miswa, is a dried, thin, white-colored noodle with a silky smooth texture. They cook quickly and are a good choice for soups. They are also known as “angel hair pancit” or “Chinese vermicelli.”
Long Beans (sitaw) are also known as “yardlong beans,” “snake beans” or “runner beans” and can grow to about 18 inches (45 cm). Like green beans, they are typically sliced and sautèed or boiled, although they are not as juicy as green beans. They don’t store well, so use them within a few days of purchase. Green beans make a good substitute.
Miso Paste (miso) is made from fermented ground soybeans and is used for sauces and soups. Miso comes in brown, white, or black. Look for it in Asian or health food stores. Use fermented black beans or bean paste if you cannot find miso.
Mung Beans (monggo) are tiny green beans that are best known as the basis for common bean sprouts. Sweetened and dried mung bean paste is used for cakes and snacks while mung bean starch is used to make mung bean thread noodles. Dried mung beans are available in Asian or Indian grocery stores.
Purple Yam (ube) Powder The purple yam, or ube, is very different from regular yams. This root crop is bigger, has a darker, rougher-looking skin, and a distinct purple flesh. Its dried and ground purple yam powder is used in a wide variety of desserts either for flavoring or color. It is sold in plastic packages in Asian grocery stores or online stores. Frozen ube and bottled ready-made ube pastes are available too.
Rice Flour is milled rice that is usually sold in packets or boxes in Asian grocery stores. Rice flour can be made into galapong, or rice balls, and is also called mochiko. It can be used to thicken sauces. You can also substitute all-purpose flour but the texture will be different. Glutinous rice flour, on the other hand, is normally used for desserts and steamed snacks.
Sautéed Shrimp Paste, or bagoong alamang, is a salty fermented paste made from baby shrimp. Bagoong means “fermented” in Filipino. This popular ingredient has a strong, pungent smell and varies in appearance, color, and flavor. Ginisang bagoong refers to ready-to-eat sautéed fermented shrimp paste sold in jars in Philippine supermarkets and Asian grocery stores. Filipinos love to spoon the bagoong over vegetable and meat dishes, even on food that may already be well seasoned. Bottled bagoong products are sold in Asian stores, look for those imported from the Philippines.The Indonesian terasi, Malaysian belachan, Thai kapi, and Vietnamese mam tom are good substitutes.
Spring Roll Wrappers (Fresh) The round, white-yellowish, crepelike, wafer-thin wrappers are about about 8 inches (20 cm) and usually frozen. They are made of wheat flour, water, coconut oil, salt, and eggs (sometimes without eggs). They are also called “pastry wrappers,” “lumpia wrappers” or “lumpia skins” (balat ng lumpia). Look for the packet that has a picture of fresh spring rolls. Before using, thaw the wrappers fully. Leftover wrappers should be stored in a tightly sealed plastic bag before putting them back into the freezer; otherwise, they will become dry and unusable. Dried rice paper wrappers used to wrap Vietnamese spring rolls and usually found in the dried noodle section, are not advisable for the Filipino fresh spring roll version.
Spring Roll Wrappers (Fried) These are square wrappers and are slightly thicker than the fresh spring roll ones. They are also labeled “spring roll pastry” and are available frozen. They are made from wheat flour, water, coconut oil, and salt and sometimes eggs. The sizes vary, so cut the large ones before serving. Thaw the wrappers completely before using. If you wish to store the leftover wrappers, place them in a tightly sealed plastic bag. Look for the packet that has a picture of deep-fried spring rolls. Either the Filipino or Chinese spring roll wrappers may be used.
Tamarind (sampalok) fruit ripe tamarind is sweet and is great for jams and candies, unripe tamarind is great for sour sinigang soups. The inside is green and very sour. To make the base for sinigang, the shelled tamarind is boiled, mashed, strained, and mixed with the soup. Frozen tamarind fruits and ready-to-use tamarind paste are sold in bags. If not available, look for the tamarind sinigang concentrate in powder or cubes in Asian grocery stores.
Tapioca Pearls are made from the cassava plant. They have a similar appearance and taste as sago pearls, which are made from the piths of sago palms that are widely grown in the Southern Philippines. To cook the dried pearls, bring to a boil four parts of water and one part of uncooked pearls. Add brown sugar (according to desired sweetness) and simmer for 20 minutes. Dried tapioca pearls are sold in various sizes and colors. Dry sago is sold in packages, and cooked sago is in jars. They can be found in Asian and Latin American grocery stores.
Taro Root (gabi) is a traditional staple in many tropical countries. It has a brown, coarse skin and gray- or purple-tinged flesh with a nutty flavor. The size of taro roots varies, but the Filipino variety is about the size of an orange. Taro is prepared like a potato. Peeled, sliced and cooked, taro is a basic ingredient for sinigang soups as well as for desserts. Firm taro root will keep for about a week at room temperature. Look for them at Asian markets and natural foods store. Jerusalem artichokes, sometimes called “sunchoke,” or potatoes may be substituted.
Toasted Rice (pinipig) is toasted, pounded glutinous rice. Upon harvest, the still-green glutinous rice is pounded flat in a mortar and pestle, and then toasted. Pinipig smells great and is used as a topping for desserts or can be actually eaten like a cereal. Sold in a plastic packages, pinipig looks like crispy rice cereal (which can be a substitute for pinipig).