Rainy Day Pancit
Pancit Lomi
Most pancit is stir-fried. Lomi isn't — it's a thick, cornstarch-bodied noodle soup from Batangas, built around fresh egg noodles, pork, liver, and whatever meaty toppings the cook has on hand, best eaten hot and fast before the broth sets up.
Lomi traces back to Lor Mee, a Hokkien Chinese noodle dish served in a thick, starchy gravy. Batangas took the idea and made it its own — heavier on meat, thickened with cassava or cornstarch instead of the original's flour-based gravy, and finished with a beaten egg stirred in at the end for texture.
What makes Pancit Lomi different
Unlike bihon, canton, or bam-i, lomi isn't tossed dry in a wok — it's simmered as a soup, using thick, fresh egg noodles rather than dried ones. The broth is deliberately thickened with a cassava or cornstarch slurry until it clings to the noodles, and the Batangas style in particular leans hard into meat toppings — pork, liver, kikiam — over vegetables.
Ingredients serves 6
- 1 lb fresh lomi or miki noodles (thick egg noodles)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 lb pork loin, thinly sliced
- 1/4 lb pork liver, sliced
- 4 pieces kikiam, sliced
- 6 cups pork broth
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup cassava starch or cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
- 1 egg, beaten
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Chopped scallions, for garnish
- Crushed chicharon, for topping
No fresh lomi noodles nearby? Fresh miki noodles are the closest substitute — dried egg noodles will work in a pinch but won't have the same chew.
Instructions
- Prep the noodles. Blanch fresh lomi noodles in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cooking until softened.
- Brown the pork. Add pork loin and cook until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Add liver and kikiam, cooking 2-3 more minutes.
- Season the base. Stir in soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce, coating the meat.
- Build the broth. Pour in pork broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
- Add the noodles. Add the blanched noodles and simmer 5 minutes until tender.
- Thicken. Stir the dissolved starch, then pour into the pot gradually, stirring constantly until the broth thickens and turns glossy.
- Add the egg. Turn off the heat. Slowly drizzle in the beaten egg while stirring gently to form thin ribbons.
- Serve. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with scallions and crushed chicharon. Serve immediately, while it's still thick and hot.
Kitchen tip: Lomi thickens further as it sits, even off the heat, and gets gluey once fully cooled. Serve it right away, and if you're reheating leftovers, add a splash of broth or water to loosen it back up.
Tips & variations
- Batangas style: skip the vegetables entirely and lean into toppings — meatballs, squid balls, or ham are common additions.
- Lighter version: add napa cabbage and carrots for a version closer to a general Filipino-Chinese lomi guisado base.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between Pancit Lomi and other pancit dishes?
Most pancit dishes are stir-fried noodles with little to no standing liquid. Lomi is a soup — thick fresh egg noodles simmered in a cornstarch-thickened broth, closer to a chowder than a stir-fry.
What is kikiam?
Kikiam is a Filipino-Chinese snack of seasoned ground meat and vegetables wrapped in bean curd skin, then fried. It's sliced and used as a topping in lomi and other noodle soups.
Can I make Pancit Lomi vegetarian?
Yes — swap the pork broth for vegetable or mushroom broth, skip the pork, liver, and kikiam, and add tofu and extra vegetables. Use cornstarch rather than a broth-based thickener either way.
Can I use cornstarch instead of cassava starch?
Yes, cornstarch works as a substitute and thickens the broth similarly, though cassava starch is traditional in Batangas versions and gives a slightly glossier, stretchier texture.
