Pancit bihon or guisado is a glorious Filipino rice noodle dish, my version combines chicken and vegetables with just a little chilli heat.
This recipe takes a little over 30 minutes to make and almost half of that time is spent chopping and preparing the veggies.
Filipino Rice Noodles with Chicken
Filipino pancit bihon is a relatively new dish to me, and one that I have been playing around with in recent months.
Pancit is the the Filipino word for noodles and there is a whole spectrum of dishes with differing cooking techniques and noodles.
Bihon or Guisado is made with rice noodles, meat and vegetables and it has a rather wonderful cooking technique.
Unlike dishes like dan dan noodles, my spicy beef noodle stir fry or my yaki udon stir fry, this dish does not use cooked noodles.
The cooking technique is part stir fry and part braise, you begin by frying off some meat and vegetables. Then you pour in a simple stock and blanch the veggies for a few minutes.
After that, it gets a little strange, but it works wonderfully, but you have to trust the process! The veggies and meat are removed from the broth and in goes some soaked rice noodles and just let them do their thing.
Once all of the stick has evaporated you toss the blanched ingredients back into the wok, season with soy sauce and dinner is served.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different type of meat?
Yes, this dish is often made with a mix of meats, with chicken and pork being popular in Westernised iterations.
Chinese sausage is also a common addition in Filipino recipes.
Can I use a different type of noodle?
You can but then the dish would become pancit canton and would require a slightly different cooking technique and timings.
Can I use different vegetables?
Yes, I often make this dish to use up leftover vegetables from the fridge or veggie rack. I think that cabbage and onion are essential, but after that go with what you have to hand.
Do I have to add the chilli oil (Lao Gan Ma)?
No, it is an addition that I have made to this dish, I add it because I love the stuff. It does not add an enormous amount of spice, but just a pleasing tingle and it works so well in this recipe.
Why do you over-dilute the chicken stock?
I do this because I want to be able to season the final dish with plenty of soy sauce and even low-salt chicken stock prevents you from doing this.
The soy sauce adds a flavour as well as seasoning the dish with salt.
Serving Suggestions
I consider pancit bihon guisado to be the perfect hearty one-bowl meal.
It kind of has everything meat, veggies noodles and bags of flaovur, and as a result, I rarely serve it with anything.
If I were to add something else when serving this it would come in the form of a starter.
Something like some crispy spring rolls or prawn toast with a sweet chilli sauce dip would be ideal.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But, if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- Wok.
- Slotted spoon.
- Kitchen tongs.
- Kettle to boil water for the chicken stock.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Mixing bowls and prep bowls.
- A combination of weighing scales, measuring jug, cups and spoons.
Filipino Pancit Bihon Recipe
My take on a Filipino pancit bihon or guisado is a gloriously gutsy rice noodle stir fry/braise that cooks rice noodles in a chicken stock with a little spice until they are soft and almost chewy and then combined with loads of vegetables and stir-fried chicken.
Ingredients
- 2 (250-275g Total) Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1 Medium-Large (200g) Onion
- 1 Medium (100-125g) Carrot
- 75g (¾ Cup) Mangetout
- 100g (10 pieces) Baby Sweetcorn
- 150g (Half of a Small Cabbage) Sweetheart or Hispi Cabbage
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 2-3 Spring Onions (For Garnish)
- 3 Bundles (150g) Vermicelli Rice Noodles
- 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
- ½ Tbsp Crispy Chilli Oil (Lao Gan Ma)
- 1 Tsp Lime Juice
- 500ml (2 Cups) Chicken Stock (I use two Chicken OXO cubes for this)
- ⅛ Tsp MSG (Optional)
- 2-3 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into thin strips.
- Top and tail the onion, cut it in half, peel it and then cut it into 5-7mm (¼") thick strips, cut top to bottom rather than across the onion.
- Cut the carrot into batons 3-5mm (⅛-¼) thick and 5cm (2") long.
- Cut the mangetout into bite-sized pieces.
- Chop the baby sweetcorn into bite-sized pieces.
- Cut the tough core from the cabbage, then cut it into 10-12mm (½") thick thick shreds across the cabbage.
- Slice the garlic cloves as finely as you can.
- Finely slice the spring onions at a 45° angle to the stem.
- Mix the chicken stock with the lime juice, oyster sauce, MSG and crispy chilli oil.
- Just before you start cooking add the rice noodles to a bowl of water and allow them to soak whilst you cook.
- Heat a wok over a fiercely high heat and when it begins to shimmer add half of the cooking oil and the chicken, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes, then remove the chicken and set aside.
- Add the remaining oil to the wok, followed by the carrot and onion and stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Throw in the garlic and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Pour in the chicken stock mix, add the cabbage, mangetout, baby sweet corn and blanch for 5 minutes. Then using a slotted spoon remove the vegetables from the broth and add them to the bowl with the chicken.
- Drain the water from the rice noodles, add them to the broth in the wok and cook them until almost all of the liquid has evaporated gently break the noodles up with some kitchen tongs. You will notice a tone change in the wok when they are don, they will almost begin to fry which will give them a soft but almost chewy texture.
- Return the vegetables to the wok and toss to coat, have a taste and add the soy sauce to season the dish before serving immediately with the chopped spring onions.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 959Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 176mgSodium: 2689mgCarbohydrates: 107gFiber: 9gSugar: 18gProtein: 53g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.