Pancit Bihon Recipe

Pancit Bihon is ultra-savory, tasty, and easy to make with rice noodles, vegetables, and some protein. I love to share a quick and simple way to cook my all-time favorite traditional Filipino noodle dish. This quick, delicious dish is suitable for any day of the week and for any occasion. 

Pancit bihon is a traditional Filipino noodle dish that is made of thin rice noodles or rice vermicelli just like my jollibee-style pancit palabok. Pancit is one of the all-time favorite recipes of so many Filipinos, including myself, because of its chewy noodles, simplicity, and unique flavor. It is eaten paired with rice, pandesal, pork lumpia, beef lumpia, or adobo.

Pancit bihon is also known as birthday noodles since it is always present during birthdays. Filipinos believes it brings a stroke of good luck and a long life to the birthday celebrant. Pancit dishes are commonly served during gatherings, events festivals, and religious activities, due to the ease on which they can be cooked in big batches and made as a crowd-pleaser.

There are numerous types of pancit bihon guisado, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin, or the ingredients. It is common to be served with calamansi or lemon for some tangy and sour taste, but this is optional.

The chewy rice noodles double their size when cooked in liquid. Adding in mixed vegetables such as carrots, bell peppers, and cabbage will make it even healthier. We typically add meat or seafood as protein too.

Jump to:

• Why You Will Love This
• INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTION NOTES
• STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
• FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
• Cooking Tips
• Storage and Reheating
• More Recipes You Might Like
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• Pancit Bihon Recipe (quick and easy)
• Recipe Note:

Why You Will Love This

• A noodle dish that only needs one pan! This pancit bihon recipe makes it incredibly easy to get a restaurant-quality dish right in your own kitchen, but it also requires very little clean-up, making it a great go-to on busy evenings.
• It’s loaded with fresh veggies! If you’re looking to sneak more vegetables into your family’s diet, try these noodles. You can customize the veggies to suit your family’s taste and feel good about what you’re feeding them.
• Pancit Bihon is a budget-friendly dish that is perfect to bring to any party or potluck and can make ahead of time. I can chop all my vegetables the night before, then store them in the fridge and cook pancit the next morning.
• If you like this noodle recipe, try my Cantonese Chow Mein, Vegan Udon Noodles Stir-Fry, Pancit Bihon and Canton, and my Beef Lumpia.

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTION NOTES

• Cooking oil - Any neutral cooking oil such as avocado oil, olive oil, or vegetable oil.
• Pork - I use pork shoulder that is sliced thinly or about 1 inch long and ¼ wide. You can use other types of meat, such as beef or chicken, and seafood, like shrimp or squid, or tofu for vegetarians.
• Pancit Bihon - Also known as vermicelli rice noodles. You can easily find these at Asian grocery stores or Internationa Supermarket if you live Abroad.
• Onion and Garlic - For aromatics and flavors.
• Vegetables - I am using cabbage and carrots. Slicing carrots thinly, similar to match sticks is great. The more variety, the better and more vibrant our dish will become.
• Broth or water - To cook the rice noodles, we need liquid. If you pre-soak your rice noodles, you only need 2-3 cups to continue cooking them in heat.
• Soy Sauce and Oyster Sauce - It adds savory and salty seasoning that gives color and more flavor.
• Salt and Black Pepper - To taste accordingly.
• Lemon or Calamansi - Calamansi is authentic to serve pancit with. But lemon or lime is just fine.
• Green Onions - For garnish (optional but highly recommended) You can also garnish pancit bihon with spring onions, scallions, or cilantro.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic and onion until translucent. Make sure you can smell the aroma of garlic and onion, for about 3 minutes.
2. Add in your pork and cook on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes or until it is light golden brown.
3. Stir fry your cabbage, carrots, and bell pepper for 2-3 minutes. 
4. Pour soy sauce, and oyster sauce, and water or broth and mix well to combine. Submerge the bihon or rice noodles. Cover the wok with a lid and turn to medium heat to cook the rice noodles until they soften. Stirring occasionally to make sure everything is well combined and water has been absorbed. Adjust your salt and pepper to taste. 

Garnish with green onion and drizzle lemon juice on top. Serve and enjoy!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Cooking Tips

• Heat your wok before starting to pour the oil.
• Stir-fry your vegetables on high heat for 2 minutes to make sure they retain their texture and color. Over-cooking them makes their texture too soft and soggy.
• Soaking the rice noodles for 10 minutes or longer will shorten the cooking time since they will come out soft and chewy from soaking them. Be sure to adjust the water while cooking them to avoid a soggy mess.

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigerator: This pancit bihon guisado recipe makes the BEST leftovers! Once it is cooled completely, store it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
• Reheating:  Reheat noodles in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. Add a splash of water to loosen up the noodles a bit, and season to taste with salt and pepper before serving. If using the microwave, cover it with a towel to make sure it will not dry out, and microwave for 30 seconds or a minute.

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