Pancit Bihon Recipe

Step 1: Prepare all of the Ingredients

Begin by combining all of your sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Give everything a good whisk until it's evenly combined, then set the sauce aside.

Now let's get the rest of our ingredients ready.

Start by slicing the chicken into thin, evenly sized strips.

Keeping the pieces about the same size helps them cook evenly once they hit the wok.

Next, prepare the vegetables.

If you're using larger green beans, go ahead and cut those in half.

Shred the carrots, or you can save yourself some time and buy them already shredded.

Dice the onion, and then cut the cabbage into bite-sized pieces.

And one thing I want to point out about the cabbage is that I'm not shredding it into thin strips.

I actually prefer keeping it in larger chunks.

That way, even after it cooks down, the cabbage still has some texture instead of completely disappearing into the noodles.

Once everything is chopped, combine the carrots, onions, and green beans in one bowl.

Keep the cabbage in a separate bowl since we'll be adding it a little later.

Step 2: Cook the Chicken and Shrimp

Heat a large wok over medium-high heat and add a little cooking oil.

I'm using olive oil, but stir-fry oil works great for this recipe as well.

Once the oil is hot, add the sliced chicken.

Season the chicken with salt and black pepper, then stir-fry until it's cooked through.

Since we've cut the chicken into thin strips, it shouldn't take too long.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the wok and transfer it to a mixing bowl.

Now add a little more oil if necessary, and add the shrimp.

Cook the shrimp until they're pink, opaque, and cooked through.

Then remove them from the wok and add them to the bowl with the chicken.

I like cooking the chicken and shrimp separately because they don't take the same amount of time to cook.

This way, we can make sure both are cooked properly without leaving the shrimp in the wok too long and making them rubbery.

Step 3: Cook the Vegetables

Add the green beans, onions, and carrots to the wok.

Sauté everything until the vegetables begin to soften and the onions start turning translucent.

Once the onions have softened, stir in the fresh minced garlic.

Continue cooking just until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Now we're going to start adding the cabbage.

And just like I mentioned earlier, I'm keeping these pieces a little larger because I want some texture in the finished dish.

Begin adding the cabbage in batches, stirring each batch into the vegetables already in the wok.

As the cabbage cooks, it'll begin to soften and shrink down, making room for more.

Continue adding the cabbage until everything has been incorporated.

And if your wok has a lid, you can use it here to help speed things up.

Just cover the wok for a little while and allow the cabbage to steam.

But don't let it cook down completely.

We're looking for softened cabbage that still has a little bite to it.

Remember, these vegetables are going back into the wok with the noodles later, so we don't need to take them too far right now.

Once all the vegetables are cooked to your liking, transfer them to a large mixing bowl and set them aside.

Step 4: Cook the Noodles in the Sauce

Pour the sauce we prepared earlier directly into the wok.

Bring the sauce to a boil, then begin adding the dry Pancit Bihon noodles.

And here's one of the most important parts of this recipe.

We're not boiling these noodles separately in plain water.

We're cooking them directly in the sauce.

As the noodles soften, they'll begin absorbing all that flavor.

And that's exactly what we want.

Use a pair of small tongs to gently move the noodles around, separating them as they begin to soften.

At first, they may be a little stiff and difficult to work with.

But as they absorb the sauce, they'll become much more flexible and easier to separate.

Now, something else I like to do is grab a pair of kitchen shears and cut the noodles in half.

You certainly don't have to do this, but I find it makes everything a whole lot easier.

Shorter noodles are easier to mix with all the chicken, shrimp, and vegetables we're adding back in.

And personally, I think they're a little easier to eat that way, too.

Continue gently stirring and separating the noodles until they're tender and have absorbed most of the sauce.

You don't want to rush this part or aggressively stir the noodles while they're still stiff.

Just give them time to soften and absorb that liquid. Normally about 10 minutes.

And keep an eye on their texture as they cook.

We want tender noodles that are easy to separate, not noodles that have cooked so long they've become mushy.

Once the noodles are cooked through and most of the sauce has been absorbed, it's time to bring everything together.

Step 5: Combine and Serve

Begin by adding the cooked chicken and shrimp back into the wok.

Gently stir them into the noodles until they're evenly distributed.

Next, start adding the cooked vegetables in batches.

I find this much easier than dumping everything back into the wok at once.

Add some vegetables, gently fold them into the noodles, and then add some more.

Continue working in batches until all the cabbage, carrots, green beans, and onions are evenly incorporated.

And this is where shortening those noodles earlier really comes in handy.

It makes it much easier to fold everything together without having one giant bundle of noodles wrapped around your tongs.

Once everything is combined and heated through, turn off the heat.

And that's all there is to it.

You've got savory rice noodles that have soaked up all that sauce, tender chicken and shrimp, and plenty of vegetables that still have some texture.