Pancit Bihon Recipe (Filipino Fried Rice Noodles)
January 5th, 2010 | Filipino Recipes | 31 Comments
I have been so busy as of late. My sister and nephew are in town since before Christmas and every day has been fun since they got here—eating out, shopping, sightseeing, and showing them around. I haven’t had much time to get online and cook, other than cooking and shooting for my cookbook (details to follow soon!). Anyway, today, I have a guest blogger Charlotte from Javafoto here with a pancit recipe. I love pancit and am so glad Charlotte—a Filipino born and raised in Manila but now lives in Portland, Oregon—came to my rescue. Please welcome Javafoto to Rasa Malaysia and let’s all learn more about Filipino food, an interesting and delicious Asian cuisine that I resolve to explore further. Enjoy!
Pancit literally means noodles in Filipino, so just like other Asian cuisines there are several variations of it around the Philippines. Growing up in Manila, we always celebrated birthdays at home with some kind of pancit. “Pampahaba ng buhay (for long life)”, my lola (grandmother) would say. My favorite is the pancit bihon. This classic Filipino noodle dish is relatively easy to make and can be put together using simple ingredients…(get pancit recipe after the jump)
Consider this a basic recipe to build on. Some variations include the addition of Chinese sausage, chorizo, or simply vegetarian. When short on time, store-bought chicken stock will work fine. I prefer an organic stock or at least one that is minimally processed and low in sodium. This pancit recipe assumes homemade stock with no salt added. Adjust flavorings if using store-bought chicken stock.
Pancit bihon goes well with lumpiang shanghai and steamed rice. Enjoy!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
8 ounces “Excellent” brand rice sticks
2-3 pieces chicken thighs or drumsticks
1 small green cabbage (shredded in 1/2 inch pieces)
2-3 medium carrots (either shredded or chopped thinly crosswise)
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 pound shrimp (shelled and deveined)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional, add 1 tablespoon soy sauce if not adding fish sauce)
Freshly ground black pepper
Optional Garnishes:
Lemon wedge
Chopped scallions
Chili garlic oil
Method:
Boil chicken in 4 cups of water to make the stock. Once cooked, shred the chicken meat into thin strips. Discard the bones and set the stock aside.
Heat a large wok to medium-high heat. Add canola oil. Stir fry the garlic and onions until the onions turn clear. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the shredded chicken pieces and shrimp (if using). Once the shrimp turns pink, add cabbage and carrots. Lightly stir fry 2-3 minutes. Pour the mixture onto a bowl and set aside.
Pour the chicken stock into the heated wok. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat down to medium. Add rice sticks, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Boil for another 5 minutes or so until there is approximately 1/4 cup stock left. Add the meat mixture back into the wok. Lightly stir fry until all the liquid has evaporated. Add freshly ground pepper to taste.
Garnish with a lemon wedge, chopped scallions, and chili garlic oil.
Cook’s Notes:
1. For an authentic taste, I recommend using Filipino brands such as Excellent rice sticks (rice noodles with a little cornstarch mixed in) and Lauriat dark soy sauce. Both are available in most Asian grocery stores.
2. I use a well-seasoned wok but most saute pans should work. Just be careful when the stock is drying up as the noodles would stick to the pan. Keep tossing the noodles to keep them from sticking. Although I have not tried it myself, a non-stick pan would probably work well since this recipe does not use a lot of oil.
3. Even though most Asian recipes would tell you to soak the noodles in warm water, boiling the noodles in the stock infuses a more intense flavor and keeps the noodles moist.
4. As with any recipe, adjust according to your taste. I like mine salty-sweet with a healthy portion of vegetables that have a slight crunch to them. For softer vegetables, cook a little bit longer once everything is mixed in the wok.
Related Recipes:
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Learned how to make this from a Filipino friend…love your recipe as well, and great pictures. Thanks!
Looks delicious!
Looks good, I would love to see more Filipino recipes here. I agree, we need to learn more.
Mm…thanks for sharing! The best part is knowing what the Filipino brands are. I’ve made versions of this before – it’s fairly similar to a number of different Asian noodles – but was never 100% sure if I was using the right spices. Now I know!
That looks delicious! Being Filipino – I can attest to the fact that this looks like a truly authentic Filipino dish!
I’m a Filipino, and I have to say, the bit about constantly tossing the noodles for them not to stick is an UNDERSTATEMENT, hahaha. I really dislike making this dish because my arms hurt from tossing the heavy wok :-( Nonstick is the best way to go.
And a note: yellow lemons are almost never available in the Philippines, so real Filipino pancit uses “calamansi” lime. I find regular limes, and not lemons, are a closer substitute.
Last note: certain areas add not only shrimp but also hard-boiled, peeled quail eggs, even chopped calamari. My favorite additions are wood-ear mushrooms, soy-braised pork liver and siew yoke (Chinese crackling pork, known in Filipino as “Lechon Kawali.”)
The point is, pancit is always a complete meal: carbs from the noodles, veggies, and protein (pork, chicken, seafood or–for vegans–Chinese and/or woodear mushrooms).
Congratulations! I can’t wait to see your cookbook!!!!! I am so happy for you.
Bee,
Long before you got your contact, I searched amazon if you had a cookbook. I’m so happy
you’re finally coming up with one. Can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Momgateway – aww, thank you for your warm support.
I love pancit! The first time I ate it, I mmm’d and yumm’d my way through three servings. My good friend from the Philippines makes with long beans and a lot of veggies. She usually puts some aside for me when she cooks up some. Hopefully, she’ll read this and get the hint.
There’s a lot of Filipino pansit:
Pansit Bihon
Pansit Palabok
Pansit Molo
Pansit Malabon
Pansit Sotanghon
Pansit Canton
…. and I love them all. I love your Pansit so I posted it on my blog.
This sounds so good – and simple! Yum!
Thank you for all the wonderful comments!
A – Yes, calamansi is better but I didn’t think about it since I live in the States now. However, I’ve heard people growing them here. A friend of mine from Colorado got a plant at Home Depot.
As for the noodles sticking to the pan – yes, be careful. You can add a little bit of water to loosen the noodles, or if you want softer vegetables.
As mentioned above the varities are endless. Feel free to experiment to suit your tastes!
Congratulations Bee on your cookbook deal!
Charlotte: Yup, I heard that too. But Colorado?! That’s amazing–isn’t Colorado a bit cold? :p
Oh, and as for Bee: I’m sure her cookbook will be a smashing success! Her recipes are authentic but easy, not fluffed-up Westernized versions, nor impossibly exotic to make. Good luck Bee! :-)
A – thank you so much for your support. Yes, my cookbook will offer authentic recipes, yep, no fluffed-up westernized versions, and I am doing the food photography, too. :)
However I make this recipe but I make it some different way than you mentioned here. Well thanks for sharing such nice recipe. I would like to make it as your way. Hope It will make tasty.
Oh, congrats on the cookbook deal, Bee!! So look forward to that!
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I myself grew up eating Filipino dishes a lot. =)
Pei-Lin – thanks for your early support on the cookbook. :)
A, yellow American lemons are available all over the supermarkets in Manila. You will be surprised what you can find in Manila and most cities outside the metropolis these days. Lemons are suggested in the recipe since it written by someone who lives in the US where calamansi is not always available. But in the Philippines calamansi is the way to go. What amazed me was this was a very common fruit in Malaysia and Singapore.
We wish to see more Filipino recipes in this blog. We also look forward to your cookbook.
Thank you for featuring my favourite Filipino noodle dish. I just made pansit the other day and I truly enjoyed it. Pancit goes well with suman ( glutinous rice in coconut milk wrapped in banana leaf) or puto (steamed rice cakes).
I’m looking forward to your cookbook Bee. I’m very excited to have a copy of it in my collection.
Awww, thanks so much. Thanks for your support.
Another great looking Filipino recipe on RasaMalaysia! I love how you feature our food on your website Bee, keep it up! And thanks for introducing Charlotte to us.
Great job! The varieties of ingredients are endless!
In addition to the soy sauce and fish sauce, oyster sauce also will go well. Also, my mom told me that when you take the heads of the shrimp, get some of the red “stuff” 9for lack of a better term) from the head of the shrimp. That’s where LOTS of the flavor comes from. Lastly, black pepper is a MUST. It adds lots of spice. In fact, one of my friends also added just a hint of chili garlic sauce for a spicy pancit variation.
Yay! Thanks for featuring another Filipino recipe here Bee! And thanks for the opportunity to discover another Filipino blogger (hello Charlotte! Great pancit!) :) And lastly, congratulations on the book deal…please keep us posted! I eagerly await for it here on my shores :)