Pancit Bihon

I admit I’ve been putting off posting my family’s recipes, as I want to make sure I do my grandparents justice—but there’s nothing like sheltering-in-place to bring out that hankering for your family’s go-to comfort food. Pancit is the iconic noodle dish of the Philippines. It can be made with thin rice noodles (as seen here) or heartier wheat or egg noodles. My family has always gone the rice noodle (stick) route—likely in part, because they’re generally safer for those with food sensitivities—but I think it’s better that way. Few other noodle dishes can achieve its savory yet springy, umami-soaked brilliance.

Recipe: Grandma’s Pancit Bihon

This recipe will feed about six people—depending on how hungry they are. My grandparents have 14 grandchildren, so they typically have to quadruple this recipe and make it with industrial size cooking equipment.

Ingredients

• 16 oz. rice sticks (rice vermicelli noodles will work)

• 1 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms

• 1.5 C. matchstick carrots (julienne them or buy them shredded at the store)

• 2 stalks celery (chopped into diagonal .25 inch slices)

• 1/4 head cabbage (chopped)

• 3 chicken thighs

• 2 pork chops

• 2 Chinese sausages

• 2 onions (chopped roughly)

• 4 cloves garlic (minced)

• 10 C. water

• soy sauce

• fish sauce

• sesame oil

• vegetable oil

• salt + pepper

• chopped scallions (for garnish)

• lemon wedges (for garnish)

• 32 oz. carton chicken stock or bone broth (backup in case you don’t make enough of your own stock)

Instructions

1. Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in cold water for at least for 6 hours to rehydrate them.

2. Remove mushrooms from liquid (save the liquid), and cut into 1/4 inch slices, remove stem.

3. Cook chicken and pork while making a special broth:

   (a) Heat up 1 tbsp vegetable oil in large pot or dutch oven
   (b) Add roughly chopped onion and brown until they begin to get translucent
   (c) Sear pork chops on both sides till a nice brown is achieved
   (d) Add 10 cups of water, the chicken thighs and bring to a boil—once boiling turn heat down to low
   (e) Cook meat until mostly cooked: chicken (20 min) and pork (15 min)
   (f) Remove the chicken and pork, chop into pieces (I like to use my hands to pull the chicken from the bone into bite-size pieces), return the bones to the pot and set aside the chopped meat.
   (g) Add some of the mushroom soaking liquid to the broth
   (h) Season the broth with salt and pepper and let simmer while cooking

4. In large pan, sauté garlic and onions in vegetable oil until fragrant.

5. Add chopped chicken and pork, seasoning with salt/pepper and soy sauce.

6. Add shiitake mushrooms, celery, carrots.

7. Add some of the special broth to help soften the vegetables.

8. Add the Chinese sausage to heat them up (they are precooked).

9. Remove sautéed mixture from the pan and set aside. There should be some liquid remaining in pan.

10. Prepare broth to cook the noodles:
    (a) To the liquid remaining in the pan, add special broth
    (b) Season with with soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper to your liking.
    (c) Wash the rice sticks in warm water (the warm water should soften them up)
    (d) Place noodles in broth. The broth should be completely absorbed by the noodles—add more broth from the carton until the noodles are completely cooked (no excess broth).
    (e) Stir and cut the noodles with scissors.
    (f) Taste noodles to ensure they are seasoned well. Add salt, pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil to taste.

11. Add the cabbage to the noodles to soften them slightly, followed by returning the sautéed mixture to the pan.

12. Garnish with greens and serve with lemon.

Typical Filipino dishes you’ll find at our family gatherings: lumpia, pancit, adobo.

The cutest grandparents you ever did see <3