Pancit Bihon

Posted byNoriePosted inLegumes, Pancits, Pastas and Rice, Recipe, SnacksTags:

This is the Pancit that everybody is familiar with. Bihon are rice noodles.

The best Bihon brand I found is Super Q. It is made from cornstarch and not rice but the noodles don’t break apart. The amount of liquid for this brand of noodles is what I used in this recipe and is perfect.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz.  Bihon noodles (2 sheets Super Q brand bihon noodles)
  • 4 cups chicken broth or 4 cups shrimp stock
  • 1 chicken bouillon or shrimp bouillon
  • 2 TBS Soy sauce
  • 1 packet Sazon Goya Achuete con Cilantro or Con Azafran
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • 1 TBS cooking oil
  • 3 cloves garlic minced or crushed
  • ½ medium onion, sliced thin lengthwise
  • ¼ c carrot sticks or cut in discs
  • 1 stalk celery sliced thin diagonally
  • 1 c shredded cabbage or cut in thin strips
  • ¼ c fresh green beans French cut thin
  • 1/2 chicken breast (optional) cooked and shredded
  • Dash of Salt and pepper
  • 1 TBS Soy sauce
  • 1 Chinese sausage sliced thin diagonally (optional)
  • 2 dried mushrooms, soaked in warm water to soften then cut thin in strips
  • 1 TBS cooking oil for drizzling
  • Green onions for garnish
  • Fried garlic for garnish
  • Calamansi or lemon for garnish

Heat 1 TBS cooking oil in a wok or a deep pan. Sauté the garlic until fragrant then stir in the onions and sauté until soft then add the Chinese sausage slices (if using) then the mushrooms.  Add about 1 TBS water and continue stirring for a couple of minutes then add the shredded chicken breast (if using) then add the vegetables with hard to cook first, and cabbage last.  Add 1 TBS soy sauce, a dash of salt and pepper.  Stir for a minute or two, or until the vegetables are crisp tender. Remove from the pan or wok and set aside.

Boil the broth in the same wok and add the bouillon, 2 TBS soy sauce, 1 packet Sazon Goya Achuete con cilantro, ½ tsp. salt and dash of black pepper.  Make sure the bouillon is dissolved. Drop in the bihon noodles and simmer just until the liquid is absorbed then remove from heat or lower the heat.  Drizzle with the 1 TBS oil and stir gently to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Stir in the vegetables with the noodles leaving aside a cup or so for garnish. Stir, being careful not to break the noodles too much.  Drizzle with 1 tsp. juice of lemon or calamansi.  Put in the serving container and garnish with the remaining cooked vegetables, lemon wedges or calamondin halves and cilantro leaves.

This pancit that I made has no meat at all that can be served to vegetarians but I used chicken broth and chicken bouillon for the flavor.  Shrimp bouillon can also be used instead of chicken.

Garnish with green onion rings and fried garlic and sliced calamansi or lemon if desired.