I’ve always thought La Paz Batchoy sounded interesting, but really never dug in to figure out what it’s all about. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about it:
Batchoy is a noodle soup made with pork organs, crushed pork cracklings, chickenstock, beef loin and round noodles.[1] Its origins can be traced to the district of La Paz, Iloilo City in the Philippines, hence it is often referred to as La Paz Batchoy.
Batchoy’s true origin is inconclusive. Documented accounts include the following:
- The dish was concocted in the La Paz market in 1938 by Federico Guillergan, Sr.[2] His recipe called for a mixture of broth, noodles, beef and pork. The soup later evolved into its present form which has become Iloilo City‘s most popular dish. Federico Guillergan, Jr., the son of the soup’s inventor, states that his father at first jokingly called the dish “bats” when asked for its name. Later, he added “choy”, from the vegetable dish chop suey.[3]
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Teodorico Lepura opened his first batchoy shop at the La Paz public market in 1945. Run by Lepura, his wife and their children, the shop sold the original La Paz batchoy at that time priced at 20 centavos per bowl. In the 1930s, as a teenager, Lepura learned the basics of making La Paz batchoy while working for a Chinese merchant, and eventually concocted his own version of the dish.[1]
I looked into quite a few recipes online and the list of ingredients were staggerring; especially the different meats. Most had pork as a main ingredient, but also chicken, shrimp and organ meat was prevalent. Let’s see what I can whip up here! Let’s check out this La Paz Batchoy!
Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodles to 2 cups of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in seasoning and add garnish. Enjoy!
The noodle block.
The powder dry seasoning sachet.
Has a beef scent.
The garnish sachet.
Little bits.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added thin sliced beef sauteed with garlic and sweet onion, sauteed chicken, sliced green onion, egg and shrimp sauteed until crispy in olive oil. The noodles have a nice gauge and good, standard texture. The broth has a very good beef flavor. It also has nice garlic flavor as well. The garnish adds a nice little chew to things; the ones that don’t get submerged get a nice little crunch. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars.EAN bar code 4807770191190.
You can get Lucky Me! La Paz Batchoy here.
A Lucky Me! TV spot for their La Paz Batchoy Supreme bowls.
