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Lo mein is an Asian stir-fry of meat and vegetables with noodles mixed in. This low carb Filipino pancit recipe is a great keto option.

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Low carb options for the Philippine noodles
How to make pancit low carb
How does the low carb pancit compare to the standard recipe?
Low Carb Filipino Pancit Recipe (Lo Mein)
📖 Recipe

There are certain family dishes that one misses when staying away from things like rice and potatoes.

For me, I miss Filipino lo mein. It's a delicious dish typically made with rice noodles. And, my father usually makes it whenever my family gets together.

My dad has a pot which is likely older than me which my siblings and I refer to as the “Filipino pancit recipe pot.”

My father has been making his signature dish in that pot for well over forty years and everyone looks forward to having the rice noodle entree at our family gatherings.

preparing Filipino low carb lo mein in pan

Low carb options for the Philippine noodles

After seeing a Thai noodle dish made using spaghetti squash, I wondered how the squash would taste as a in this Filipino lo mein.

I have tried spaghetti squash as a replacement for wheat pasta in Italian style dishes with tomato sauce. It was okay, but the taste and texture was off.

The Filipino lo mein, on the other hand is a stir-fry type of dish that mixes cooked noodles into a stir fry of meat and vegetables.

And, the color and texture of spaghetti squash is very similar to the thin firm rice noodles used in the Filipino pancit recipe.

Spaghetti squash is also better than making zucchini noodles. Although I do like serving zoodles with Alfredo sauce.

How to make pancit low carb

I decided to give it a try. My father always makes his recipe with pork, but I used chicken as that is what I had. The Filipino lo mein is usually made with pork, chicken, shrimp or a combination of these meats.

Although you can cook spaghetti squash in an Instant Pot, I decided to roast it in the oven. You can also prepare the spaghetti squash in a crock pot. To make things easier, the squash was cooked up the day before so I just had to add the strands into the dish.

To make the low carb pancit, I sautéed the chicken with onion and garlic until it was no longer pink. Then cabbage, carrots, green beans, and soy sauce were stirred in. Once the cabbage was soft, I added in the spaghetti squash and cooked until heated.

How does the low carb pancit compare to the standard recipe?

I must say that squash noodles worked quite well in place of the rice noodles. The squash complimented the cabbage perfectly.

In fact, it’s hard to tell the difference unless one takes a close look. Although it has a different flavor, I actually prefer the squash because rice is very bland.

If you've never made a Filipino pancit recipe, I highly recommend giving it a try. Chances are high that you'll be hooked on it.

Another one of my favorite low carb Filipino recipes is chicken adobo. It's so popular, it's known as the unofficial dish of the Philippines.

You may also like the slow cooked pork belly adobo or the Filipino style eggplant burgers.

I've also been known to enjoy garlic cauliflower fried rice which is a favorite for breakfast. And, I'm still trying to figure out a keto friendly lumpia recipe. But I think it should work with coconut wraps like those used in this keto egg rolls recipe.