Most Filipinos might agree that “Pancit is life!” as noodle dishes have been a constant part of the Filipino diet. However, when you particularly need a pancit variant to make rainy days bearable or simply need a warm bowl of comfort food, Pancit Lomi is a perfect choice. Lucky you, as we will share with you helpful information and tips on how to cook the best Pancit Lomi!
Lomi is a heartwarming, tasty, ultimate comfort food made with fresh and thick egg noodles, meat, and vegetables, all soaked in a flavorful creamy and egg-based soup. You can have it as an afternoon snack or as a simple dinner meal. It is also an excellent menu choice when you don’t feel like putting too much effort in the kitchen, but you still want to eat some good food.
Further, this Lomi recipe blog will tell you how and what makes this cheap yet delicious meal. It has a wide array of variants to choose from and allows for different cooking techniques. We don’t want to spoil you more, so let’s get started!
What is Pancit Lomi
Lomi is a Filipino dish with fat yellowish noodles and thick broth. You can consume this dish using a spoon so you can get all that greatness in one bite!

This dish has a distinct type of noodles with about an inch in diameter, and the Lomi noodle makers soak it in lye water to give every strand a yellowish color and a springy texture.
Besides, Lomi has rich and flavorful cornstarch and egg thickened broth. You will surely get full of the generous amount of meat and vegetables that you can mix with the dish, as well as the range of add-ons that you can put in a single bowl and a whole lot more kinds of garnish. These, my friends, are what make it unique from other pancit variants.
In 1968, a Filipino-Chinese restaurateur by the name, To Kim Eng introduced the noodle dish in Lipa City, Batangas, Philippines. His recipe eventually became a hit among his mahjong co-players. Subsequently, he established the first lomihan (Lomi house) in Barangay Marawoy, Lipa City, and earned the title Lomi King.
As a result, Lomi House chains have spread throughout the entire province of Batangas. Later on, people have learned to attribute Lomi to the area. Because of this, Lomi is a must-try when you travel around the Batangas.
You can best eat Lomi while steaming hot. We dare you to take it fresh from the pot and finish eating a bowlful before it gets cold. It is also advisable to prepare a mixture of soy sauce, calamansi, and some chopped red chilies (if you are capsaicin-tolerant), as a condiment to add to the dish. Some lomi fanatics even add freshly-chopped onions for an added flavor and spice!
Ways to cook Pancit Lomi
One of the good things about pancit lomi is that you can cook it with a broad option of cooking devices. Hence, leaving you no reason not to be able to prepare it.
Traditional Pot Lomi
The usual method of cooking lomi is using the large pot. This toll is where you will sautee all the aromatics, boil the broth and cook the noodles-- all in one big dish. Most Lomi Haus and carinderias employ this technique in the Philippines.
Instant Pot Lomi
The “Instant Pot” is the brand name of the cooking tool you can use to prepare this dish. This device is almost the same as the pressure cooker. However, Instant Pot is digital and more convenient to use.
Since you won’t be needing its meat tenderizing function for your Pancit Lomi, the main goal of using instant pot is to save you some time and attention to cook the dish. You will only need to set it up, put all the ingredients at once, wait for a few minutes, and you’re good to go!
This method will result in a healthy lomi variant as you will skip the sauteeing part. However, you may have to sacrifice some of the elements as well as flavors that you can get in a traditional lomi.
Wok Stir Fry
When you want to reinvent your lomi with more flavors and just the right amount of soup, you may try having a wok stir fry lomi. Using a large wok will allow you to stir fry more ingredients that will make your lomi more flavorful and savory than ever.
Varying Lomi Recipes
The ingredients of Pancit Lomi can be replaced with several alternatives to accommodate different dietary and gastronomic preferences. Hence, we present to you some of our top lomi variants.
Vegan Recipe

It may be a challenge to turn a meat-based soupy dish into a vegan version—good news for vegans out there. To do so, replace all animal-based ingredients with a vegetable counterpart.
In particular, you can replace the toppings and meat ingredients with vegetables like cauliflower or non-meat proteins such as tofu. Meanwhile, the egg has to be omitted in the broth and just put mashed silken tofu or potatoes.
Keto Lomi Recipe

When we say keto, the rule is less to no carbs and more fat. Thus to prepare keto lomi, you may have to replace the flour-based noodles with shirataki udon noodles. You also have to skip pouring some slurry to achieve thick sauce and just rely on egg alone.
However, some lomi toppings are high in carbohydrates such as the squid balls and kikiam. Thus, you have to remove them or simply replace them with a meaty or with a no-carb alternative.
Chicken Lomi Recipe

As the name suggests, the Chicken Lomi variant is achieved by replacing the meat component with chicken or chicken innards and making the soup with chicken broth as a base.
Aside from the replacements mentioned above, the rest of the recipe is the same as the traditional style lomi. This version is less fatty, especially if you will use the lean breast part of the chicken.
Seafood Recipe

Cheer up seafood lovers, as you can merge your two favorites in one seafood dish. As done in the previous variant, making seafood lomi requires you to replace the meat with seafood meats, such as squid and shrimp. We recommend you use shrimp bouillon cubes or cream of the crab soup to fully achieve the seafood flavor in the broth.
Troubleshooting
Pancit Lomi being a soupy dish makes it easily repairable. So you won’t have to worry about making some mistakes, especially when you have these troubleshooting tips.
- When your Pancit Lomi broth becomes jelly-like as you add too much slurry, just add more water and let it simmer for a few minutes and mix it until you achieve your preferred consistency.
- If your soup turns out watery, add more slurry or eggs to make it thicker.
- In case you added way too much salt in your lomi dish, add more water in the soup and serve it with more red onion toppings. The pungent and sharp taste of the onions will cover up the saltiness, especially when you add a sprinkle of calamansi (or lime).
- Add some brown sugar in the soup as it will provide a sweet and pleasant taste in the broth that will cover up the saltiness.
Trivia
You can trace the roots of Pancit Lomi back to China. As the Chinese noodle dish, Lor Mee has similar ingredients and preparation, consisting of creamy soup and thick yellow noodles. Besides, Lomi and Lor Mee sound alike, and in fact, the meaning behind the name means gravy noodles (as “Lor” refers to the thick gravy, and “Mee” means noodles).
Indonesia and Malaysia also serve Lor Mee. However, its soup is brown, more gravy-like, and often sour, unlike the slurpable and light Lomi soup. Our Southeast Asian neighbors usually serve the noodle dish alongside ngo hiong, dumplings, fish cakes, and boiled eggs.
In terms of the toppings and condiments, there are many options to choose from, such as black vinegar, soy sauce, red chili paste, minced garlic, spring onions, and sliced sambal chilies.
Like the introduction of Lomi in the Philippines, the Hokkien people brought Lor Mee in several parts of Southeast Asia-- Indonesia and Malaysia, as mentioned above, and Singapore.
Tips
Cooking Pancit Lomi is relatively less complicated when compared with other dishes. However, it won’t hurt to keep in mind some tips.
- The texture of your lomi noodles depends on the timing. Add the noodles to the broth earlier than usual and let it simmer longer if you want it to be mushy and soft.
- Add the noodles later in the broth and just let it simmer for a few minutes if you want to maintain the springy and al dente noodle texture. Also, you may consider boiling the noodles beforehand and just put it in the soup when ready to serve.
- Do not put it in the refrigerator while still warm to avoid spoilage if you have leftovers and want to save it for later. Let it cool for a while and transfer it in a clean and tightly sealable container. Pancit lomi can be refrigerated only for a maximum of three days.
- To reheat the dish, put the cold lomi in a saucepot and add some water or broth. You may also add some additional fresh vegetables or meat according to your liking. Bring it to a boil, and it’s ready-to-eat!
- Unfortunately, lomi noodles are not usually available in stores outside the Philippines. You don’t always have time to make thick egg noodles from scratch. Use Japanese udon noodles instead as it resembles the thickness and the texture of the original noodle used.
Ideally Served With
A hearty bowl of Pancit Lomi makes for a filling meal. However, two or more dishes are better than one, as you can make your Lomi more enjoyable when served with any of these dishes!
- Lumpiang Shanghai - This fried spring roll variant is one of the Filipino favorites that you can either serve as an additional topping or a side dish with the Pancit Lomi. It is better consumed hot, so the wrapper will still be crispy, and the meat and veggie filling is at its best and fresh flavors!
- Palitaw - One of the many kakanin variants, Palitaw, is a flat, round, boiled glutinous rice powder mixture rolled in shredded old coconut meat, sugar, and ground sesame seeds. You can best eat this sticky and chewy rice cake by hand. You can pair it with the Pancit Lomi as a midday snack.
- Maruya - This Filipino snack is a type of pancake made from ripe saba bananas or plantains coated in a sweet batter and deep-fried. If you want a fried dessert best eaten after you’ve had your eggy and light Pancit Lomi, Maruya is the right choice.
- Soft drinks - Finishing a hot bowl will surely leave you sweaty, hence drinking ice cold soft drinks is the best way to quench your thirst!
- Okoy Kalabasa - This vegetable fritters made of julienned pumpkin, onions, a few mini shrimps, and cornstarch when deep-fried makes for a sweet, savory, crunchy, and delectable appetizer. You may prepare this treat with its vinegar-based dip, which can serve as a condiment for the Pancit Lomi. Okoy Kalabasa is also an excellent lomi topping, and you just have to make it into bite-sized pieces.
- Kamote Cue - This skewered, glazed deep-fried sweet potato fritter is a popular snack in the Philippines. If you need to load up some carbs and you’re up for some sugar rush, this can be served as a dessert with pancit lomi as your main course. The combo can best be served either as lunch or for a dense snack.
- Tokwa’t Baboy - Like with Lugaw, Tokwa’t Baboy is an ideal appetizer for Pancit Lomi, especially if you have the less meaty variant. This dish consists of pork ears, mask, belly, and fried tofu chopped into small pieces and drenched in a mix of soy sauce and vinegar. The lomi and tokwa’t baboy combination make for a filling meal, and it can be consumed either for an early day breakfast or a simple dinner.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, Pancit Lomi is a great stand-alone meal as it has noodles, meat, and a lot of vegetables. This dish is best eaten for a quick-eat or served as a warm welcome meal for unexpected visitors. No one could resist the appealing colors and the light umami flavors in a bowl of serving!
Thus, whenever lomi cravings attack, you don’t need to go to a lomi haus since you now know how to cook pancit lomi. Our discussions will surely help you make this sumptuous dish in a dash to enjoy a delicious hot serving in no time! Do not forget to share some with your neighbors and friends!
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Recipe
Superb Lomi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Lomi
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 3 pcs Squid Ball quartered
- 3 pcs Kikiam quartered
- ½ cup Pork sliced
- ½ cup Pig's Liver and Gizzard sliced
- 1 pc Carrot cut into strips
- 3 pcs Chinese Cabbage cut into strips
- 3 pcs Eggs scrambled
- 2 tablespoon Cooking Oil
- ¼ cup Cornstarch
- 6 cups Water
- 1 pc Onion cubed
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
Instructions
- Wash the lomi noodles with water and drain. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pot. Sauté garlic until brown, then add the onions.
- Then add the pork and gizzard. Cook for about 3-5 minutes.
- Put the black pepper and fish sauce, add 2 cups of water then cook while covered for 10 minutes. Lower the heat when boiling.
- Add the pig's liver and cook for 5 minutes.
- Then put the squid balls, kikiam and carrot. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Pour-in the remaining water, then the lomi noodles and melted cornstarch.
- Add the scrambled eggs and stir well. Then put-in the cabbage and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Transfer into a serving plate. Enjoy eating!