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“Pancit” simply means “noodle” in Tagalog and refers to a whole family of dishes revolving around noodles cooked with different ingredients in the Filipino cuisine. Depending on the region, the family, and the cook, each plate of pancit can vary widely.

The two most popular types are pancit bihon, which is made with rice vermicelli noodles, and pancit canton, made with a thicker, yellow wheat-based noodle that resembles lo mein and chow mein. This recipe uses rice vermicelli in order to maximize flavor: We will simmer the pork in a soy and fish sauce broth until tender, then use that umami-rich broth to cook our noodles until every last drop is absorbed.

To multitask, begin simmering your pork before moving on to prepping your veggies. You will have 25 minutes while your pork is cooking to cut up your cabbage, onion, carrot, garlic, and scallions.

Once the pork is tender, we will cook it a second time in coconut oil until the outside turns deeply golden and crispy. Make sure to use a skillet that has a lid because the fatty pork will splatter: Please be careful with this step! Shaking the pan while it’s lidded will ensure even searing on all the pieces without hot oil jumping everywhere. As the recipe instructs, please wait for oil sputters to subside before uncovering!

As finishing touches, a squeeze of fresh calamansi or pour of bottled calamansi extract will give the dish an authentically Filipino brightness. Calamansi is a citrus hybrid with a green exterior and a bright orange flesh, puckery and floral at the same time, prominent in Filipino cooking. If you can’t find any, lemon or lime will do! For a little extra flavor bump, toss in a 1/2 teaspoon MSG right along at the end!

Top your creation with a little bit of store-bought fried garlic for extra pizazz and you are all set to eat with vigor. Once you’ve made a plate of pancit, be sure to let us know in the comments below how you liked it!

skin-on pork shoulder or pork belly, cut into 1" cubes

small red onion, thinly sliced

large carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the bias

scallions, cut into 1" pieces on the bias

calamansi or fresh lemon juice

Fried garlic (optional) and calamansi, lemon, or lime wedges, for serving