Pancit Bihon - How to Make it

Long life. This is the meaning of always having pancit bihon recipe in almost every Filipino birthday gathering that you attend to. They should be cooked uncut. Although it is also being served in other parties or gathering like fiestas, Christmas day/eve, New Year's day/eve, weddings, christenings. Having it on every occasion seems like part of the tradition. It's always been in the top lists of the menu.Pancit bihon recipe is made with pancit noodles mix with sauteed vegetables with either chicken, pork or shrimps. 

I am not sure where it started or if it's an authentic Filipino dish because since I was born, it's always been there in every Filipino table. But since I'm writing about this recipe, I need to know about it and a good thing to let you know as well. So, pancit became popular and favourite in the Philippines and they consider it as a local dish after being introduced by Chinese settlers. Pancit was derived from a Chinese word Hokkien pian i sit which means convenient food. 

Nowadays, there are many variations of pancit noodles in the market. When a Filipino says pancit, she means noodles but when we say pancit bihon, it is a variety of noodles which is thin and shiny. Other variations are what we call pancit canton, pancit palabok, pancit luglug. Even though the noodles are different, the basic of cooking it and the ingredients are almost similar. For this recipe, I considered the preference of my partner who is not into seafoods, so I just used chicken breast but you can always use additional ingredients to make it more tasty and flavourful.

TIPS TO MAKE A TASTY PANCIT BIHON RECIPE

• Instead of soaking the noodles into the water, a quick boil with a broth can make it more flavourful.
• Prepare your ingredients (vegetables) into the same size for even cooking.
• Good distribution of ingredients is very important to make the taste even. A wok is highly recommended to use, if not a wide pot or skillet can be an alternative.
• Do not overcook your vegetables. Just cook it until tender but crispy.
• Use chicken broth in place of water to add additional flavour.
• To make it more special and tasty, you can add shrimps, chorizo, fishballs or squid balls.
• Drizzle some sesame oil for an additional aroma and to avoid sticking.

REASONS FOR MAKING PANCIT BIHON

• Complete meal
• Great for parties and family gathering with its big serving
• Easy to prepare
• Having it in the table seems like a tradition.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp. cooking oil
• 2 cloves, garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 lb. pancit bihon
• 1 1/2 lbs. chicken, breast, thinly sliced
• 1 lb. snow peas
• 1 pc. carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 pc. chicken cube
• 6 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp, oyster sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups water
• Calamansi or lemon, cut into wedges

WATCH HOW TO COOK PANCIT BIHON

PROCEDURE:

1. Saute' garlic and onion in a large preheated pot.
2. Add the sliced chicken breast or your choice of meat (pork) or shrimp and cook for at least 2 minutes
3. Add the water and chicken cubes and let it simmer for at least 15 minutes.
4. Add carrots and the snow peas ( celery, cabbage, green beans, your preference) and cook for a few minutes.
5. Remove the vegetables draining the liquid and set it aside.
6. Leave the liquid in the pot and add soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well and let it boil.
7. Add the pancit bihon noodles (while cooking the other ingredients, pre-soak the noodles with water) to the pot. Mix well and let the liquid be absorbed. Add water as needed. Cooked until the noodles are soft.
8. Put back the vegetables mixture we set aside. Stir in and simmer for at least a minute or two.
9. Sprinkle some additional salt and pepper according to your taste preference.
10. Serve hot with sliced onion leaves garnish and with a squeeze of your cut calamansi or lemon wedges. Enjoy!