ETHNIC COOK : A Richly Flavored Pot

Elising Roxas Tunglen entertains in typically warm-hearted Filipino style, filling her house with people and preparing such generous amounts of food that guests always pack some to take home.

One of her specialties is pancit molo , a soothing won ton soup from Iloilo, Tunglen’s native province in the Philippines. ( Molo is a town in that province, and pancit means noodles, in this instance loosely interpreted as won ton wrappers.)

Chicken, pork, shrimp and chorizo de Bilbao, a sausage that can be purchased in Filipino markets, go into this richly flavored pot, along with water chestnuts and green onions. Garlic adds its pungent touch, and ground annatto seeds contribute a subtle dash of yellow color.

Pancit molo is “very easy to prepare and very healthy,” says Tunglen, a registered nurse who lives in El Monte. The healthy part is using lean pork and removing the skin and fat from the chicken before boiling it to make broth. Tunglen prepares the broth a day in advance and refrigerates it. By the next day, the fat has congealed at the top and can easily be removed.

The meat-and-shrimp-stuffed won tons are cleverly shaped to resemble triangular “hats.” They look intricate and difficult to make, but the task is easy: You merely fold the wrapper from one point toward the opposite corner, then bend the sides to the back, allowing the unfolded point to form the tip of the hat.

ELISING ROXAS TUNGLEN’S PANCIT MOLO (Filipino Won Ton Soup)

1/2 chicken

1 chorizo de Bilbao (Spanish-style chorizo) or pepperoni

3 tablespoons fish sauce

Salt

1 teaspoon ground annatto seeds, optional

1/4 pound pork

1/4 cup diced peeled shrimp

1 egg, beaten

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

3 cloves garlic, minced

Black pepper

36 to 40 won ton wrappers

1 tablespoon oil

Chopped green onions for garnish

Remove skin and visible fat from chicken. Place chicken in Dutch oven with chorizo. Add water to cover. Season with 2 tablespoons fish sauce and salt to taste. Add annatto to produce yellow color. Bring to boil, cover and simmer until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. Drain chicken and chorizo. Measure broth and add water, if necessary, to make 3 quarts.

Chop chicken. Combine with pork, shrimp, egg, 1/2 onion, water chestnuts, green onions, 1 clove garlic and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well.

Divide mixture in half. Reserve half. Fill wrappers with remainder. Place 1 teaspoon filling just above 1 point of wrapper. Fold wrapper over filling and continue folding about 2/3 way to opposite point. Fold side points to meet in back and press to seal, forming pointed “cap.” Slice chorizo.

Heat oil in large pot. Add remaining 1/2 onion and 2 cloves garlic and saute until lightly browned. Add reserved chicken mixture and chorizo and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 quarts chicken broth and bring to boil. Carefully place stuffed wrappers in soup. Add 1 tablespoon fish sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Turn into tureen and sprinkle with chopped green onions. Makes 10 servings.

Each serving contains about:

300 calories; 951 mg sodium; 81 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 18 grams protein; .2 gram fiber; 54% calories from fat.