Pancit Bihon is one of those noodle dishes that I loved eating at parties but none of my Japanese relatives knew how to make. It is so tasty and filled with vegetables that I thought it would be too time consuming to make on my own.
I finally decided to look at cornstarch noodles at the grocery store and, to my surprise, saw the recipe on the back was simple enough. I made a couple of tweaks to how much garlic and bacon to use, but this is pretty much the recipe on the back of the cornstarch noodles. Now I don’t have to look for a farmer’s market to satisfy my craving for these chewy savory noodles, I can just make it myself, and you can, too!
What to love about this dish
The texture of these cornstarch noodles is so fun. It’s like a mix of rice noodles, sweet potato noodles, and mung bean noodles. Thin, chewy, and soft, Easy Pancit Bihon will be your next favorite noodle dish to make at home.
You don’t have to just use the vegetables in the recipe. You can use any little bits of vegetables that you have hanging out in your fridge that you don’t know what to do with. Zucchini, celery, mushroom, bell peppers, green beans, and more would work with these noodles.
The key to get tender and not overcooked noodles
There are two major steps that must be done to have perfectly cooked cornstarch noodles. First, soak the noodles in room temperature water. If you skip this step, you will end up with noodles that are soft on the outside and strangely crunchy on the inside. Don’t skip this step!
Second, don’t cook the noodles until all the liquid is gone before adding your chicken and vegetables back in the pan or you will have mushy noodles. You want to have a little bit of liquid left so when you add the rest of the ingredients back into the pan and mix, the liquid will be gone right at the end of mixing.
What to serve with Easy Pancit Bihon
This noodle dish can be served as a side to any protein. If you make it with the optional bacon and add a little more chicken, it can be a single pot meal.
Since the best time to eat this is within the first couple of hours after it is cooked, it is great for a potluck where you’re serving a crowd and there’s probably not going to be too much leftover food. It can stay out for a few hours on a buffet line without any problems. If you decide to make this for meal prep, make sure to reheat
the noodles with a wet paper towel covering the top so the noodles can steam and soften up in the microwave.
Here are more tasty ways to use up that large cabbage that you picked up at the grocery store:
Easy Pancit Bihon
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 large saute pan or dutch oven, fryer pan (4-quarts or larger) or wok
- measuring cups and spoons
- 1 plate (optional)
- Paper towels (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce package cornstarch noodles (pancit bihon)
- water for soaking
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 4 bacon strips cut into bite-size pieces (optional)
- ½ pound chicken thighs cut into ¼" strips
- ½ large onion sliced
- 7 garlic cloves minced (about 3 or 4 tablespoons)
- 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into matchsticks
- ¼ large cabbage chopped (about 3 cups)
- ¼ cup water (if using stainless steel pan)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ⅛ cup soy sauce
Instructions
- Place the cornstarch noodles in a large bowl and add water until the noodles are covered. Soak for at least 10 minutes (cut your vegetables while soaking noodles). Drain and set aside.
- Heat saute pan on medium high heat. Add canola oil.
- Optional: Add bacon and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the fat is mostly rendered out of the bacon. Remove bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
- Add chicken to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove when the chicken is almost cooked through to a large bowl.
- Add onions, garlic, carrots, and cabbage to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened. Remove the vegetables from the pan to the large bowl. (If the chicken left fond on the pan (the stuck on brown stuff from cooking, add ¼ cup water while cooking the vegetables and scrape the fond off the bottom of the pan; it adds great flavor to your dish.)
- Put the soaked and drained cornstarch noodles, chicken broth, and soy sauce in the pan. When the broth starts to bubble, lower heat to medium and cook the noodles for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste for seasoning; if its not salty enough, add soy sauce 1 teaspoon at a time until it's just right. When the broth is almost soaked up into the noodles, add the chicken and vegetables (and bacon if using) back into the pot and stir well to combine.
- Remove pan from heat so the noodles do not get overcooked. Serve immediately.
