Odong is a soup dish composed of canned sardines in tomato sauce, flour noodles (known as odong), and vegetables such as loofah or bottle gourd. This is a budget friendly and easy to prepare dish. Odong is popular in central and southern parts of the Philippines.
Odong noodles can be purchased in supermarkets within Metro Manila. In most parts of Visayas and Mindanao, the noodles are sold in retail in sari-sari stores. I found it hard to find Odong noodles here in the US, so I used Japanese Udon noodles as an alternative ingredient. Although the appearance is different, the taste is pretty much the same.
This dish is usually eaten with rice, even if it already has noodles in it. I usually use a lot of garlic when I make odong. The taste and aroma of the garlic balances the fishy flavor of the dish.
Try this Odong Recipe. Let me know what you think.
Odong Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ounces odong noodles (use udon as an alternative)
- 3 cans (5.5 oz.) spicy sardines in tomato sauce
- 1 cup sliced bottle gourd (upo)
- 1 cup water
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Procedure
- Heat oil in a cooking pot.
- Saute the garlic and onion when the oil becomes hot. Cook until the onion is soft.
- Put in sliced bottle gourd. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the sardines including the sauce and pour-in water. Let boil.
- Put-in the noodles. Cook for for 5 to 8 minutes or until the noodles are done.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir.
- Transfer to a serving bowl.
- Serve with rice. Share and enjoy!
Number of servings (yield): 3