Lomi or

pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...

lomi Lomi or pancit Lor mee, lomi (Hokkien ) is a Culture of the Philippines, Filipino dish made with a variety of thick fresh egg noodles of about a quarter of an inch in diameter, soaked in lye water to give it more texture. Because of its popula ...

(

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

) is a Filipino dish made with a variety of thick fresh egg

noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noo ...

s of about a quarter of an inch in diameter, soaked in

lye Lye is the common name of various alkaline solutions, including soda lye (a solution of sodium hydroxide) and potash lye (a solution of potassium hydroxide). Lyes are used as cleaning products, as ingredients in soapmaking, and in various other c ...

water to give it more texture. Because of its popularity at least in the eastern part of

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...

, there are as many styles of cooking lomi as there are

eateries A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appe ...

, ''

panciteria Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...

s'' or

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

s offering the dish. Variations in recipes and quality are therefore very common.

Recipe

Small portions of meat (usually pork, sometimes chicken) and pork liver, are thinly sliced then sauteed with

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

and

shallots The shallot is a cultivar group of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with ''Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the difference was to ...

. It is then cooked until tender. Next, salt, finely ground

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...

and other

seasoning Seasoning is the process of supplementing food via herbs, spices, and/or salts, intended to enhance a particular flavour. General meaning Seasonings include herbs and spices, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings". Salt may ...

s are added at this point. Then

soup stock Stock, sometimes called bone broth, is a savory cooking liquid that forms the basis of many dishes particularly soups, stews, and sauces. Making stock involves simmering animal bones, meat, seafood, or vegetables in water or wine, often for an ...

is added to prepare the

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups ...

. Next the lomi noodle and chopped cabbage is added. While waiting for the noodles to cook, a mixture of

cornstarch Cornflour, cornstarch, maize starch, or corn starch (American English) is the starch derived from corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the kernel. Corn starch is a common food ingredient, often used to thicken s ...

flour blended with a small amount of water is added to thicken the soup. Finally, just before the whole mixture is transferred to individual bowls, a beaten egg is added as the cook continuously stirs to complete the basic dish. Toppings include slices of ''kikiam'' (''que-kiam''), fish balls, sliced

chives Chives, scientific name ''Allium schoenoprasum'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae. A perennial plant, ''A. schoenoprasum'' is widespread in nature across much of Eurasia and North America. It is the only spe ...

, cooked shrimp, and some

meatball A meatball is ground meat (mince) rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are m ...

s. Sometimes stir-fried ground meat (pork or chicken), as well as coarsely ground garlic roasted to golden brown are also available. Lomi is typically cooked using a deep

wok A wok () is a deep round-bottomed cooking pan of Chinese origin. It is believed to be derived from the South Asian karahi. It is common in Greater China, and similar pans are found in parts of East, South and Southeast Asia, as well as being ...

on LPG gas stove. About 9–10 minutes is the cooking time for a single serving of lomi.

Consumption

Lomi is best eaten while steaming hot. It is a challenge to finish eating before the bowl gets cold. To spice up the taste, depending on one's preference, a mixture of

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

, fish sauce,

kalamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, and ...

juice and crushed fresh red

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

s can be added to the dish as a condiment. The same soy sauce mixture can also be used as a dipping sauce for the meatballs, Other lomi eaters request a small amount of finely chopped fresh

red onions Red onions (also known as purple or blue onions in some mainland European countries) are cultivars of the onion (''Allium cepa''), and have purplish-red skin and white flesh tinged with red. They are most commonly used in cooking, but the skin ...

to be eaten with the dish for extra

pungency Pungency ( ) is the taste of food commonly referred to as spiciness, hotness or heat, found in foods such as chili peppers. Highly pungent tastes may be experienced as unpleasant. The term piquancy ( ) is sometimes applied to foods with a lower ...

Availability

''Lomi haus'' or ''lomián'', ''panciteria'',

eatery A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

, ''carinderia'',

or their combination (e.g., lomi haus and eatery) are the most common terms used in Batangas to refer to a food establishment where lomi is served or eaten. A ''lomi haus'' specializes in lomi and other pancit dishes made of fresh egg noodles called ''miki''. It may also serve other pancit dishes, such as pancit guisado, bihon, miki-bihon, chami, pancit canton, sotanghon and others if available. A ''panciteria'' has a more extensive menu of pancit dishes. It serves lomi and other pancit dishes such as pancit guisado, bihon, mike-bihon, chami, pancit canton, sotanghon and others. Rice meals, viands and other made-to-order dishes may also be served here if available. An ''eatery'' or ''carinderia'' or ''restaurant'' principally serves rice meals, viands and other made-to-order dishes that may or may not include lomi. In eastern Batangas, lomi will always be included in the menu, however. Other names used, though infrequently, for food establishments where lomi may be served are ''luncheonette'' and ''fast food center''.

References

{{Soups Pancit Noodle soups

Recipe

Consumption

Availability

See also

References