Pancit Guisado (Bihon/Canton mix) – Noodle Dish for All Occasions!

Here is a recipe that I have cooked more than I can remember and has been served from birthdays to anniversaries, fiesta, picnics, holidays and almost every occasion Filipinos can think of whenever food is involved. I have tried countless variations and mixes and I am happy to say this satisfies a wide range of palate from young and old and local to international ones so I want to share my recipe with you.

Pancit Guisado (Bihon/Canton mix)

Brief History

The Pancit dish originated in China taking its name from the Hokkien phrase “pian I sit” which means something cooked fast and convenient to make. Over the years the pancit evolved into a signature Filipino dish with multiple variations including pancit canton, pancit bihon or sotanghon.
Pancit bihon guisado or simply pancit bihon spelled bijon in spanish is associated with pancit which means very thin rice noodles fried along with a variation of vegetables and meat with some sauce made from soy sauce, calamansi(mild Philippine citus) and patis(fish sauce) mixed or served on the side. Pancit canton differs in that along with the other same ingredients, egg noodles are used which looks similar to the spaghetti noodles. In this recipe, I combine the thin rice noodles and the thicker egg noodles to create a blend of unique flavours that you can enjoy with every bite.

Ingredients – Serves 15-20(Party size) Prep Time 30 mins Cook Time 30 mins – pls adjust ingredient quantity to number of people being served

1 package bihon rice noodles (454 grams or 16oz)
1 package canton egg noodles (454 grams or 16oz)
1 head garlic
1 pc onion (medium size)
½ kilo chicken (thighs or breast)
¼ cup soy sauce
2 cups carrots, julienned
1 ½ cups green beans, julienned
1 cup snap peas, cut in thirds
1 cup celery, julienned
4 tbsp cooking oil
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste
Serve with some calamansi and soy sauce or fish sauce on the side

Cooking Instructions

⦁ Prepare your stock by boiling the chicken in water and salt. Boil until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from stock and slice into dice size. Set aside. Soak the package of bihon in warm water.
⦁ In a wok or big pan; sauté onion, garlic in 2 tbsp oil until translucent then add soy sauce and pepper. Add carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the green beans. After 2 minutes add the snap peas, celery and diced chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove vegetable/chicken mix from wok. Set aside for topping later.
⦁ In the same wok, sauté garlic in 2 tbsp oil; add soy sauce, chicken stock, pepper and sugar to taste. Bring to a boil. When rapidly boiling add the canton noodles for 5 minutes. Then add drained bihon noodles and mix thoroughly. Cook for 10 minutes until all stock is absorbed.
⦁ Optional: add a third of the vegetable/chicken mix into the noodles.
⦁ Serve the noodles with the rest of the vegetable/chicken mix for topping. Enjoy!

***You can add shrimps or prawn balls as additional protein in the vegetable mixture.