Pancit bihon
Pansit bihon
Thin rice noodles cooked in soy-seasoned chicken stock with chicken, prawns, cabbage, carrot and green beans. The birthday noodles, finished with calamansi.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Pansit bihon.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 1 hr
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Pancit bihon is thin rice noodles stir-fried with chicken, prawns and a pile of vegetables in a soy-seasoned stock. The noodles are soaked, not boiled, then dropped into simmering stock in the wok so they drink it up as they soften; that is how they take on flavour and stay separate. Cabbage, carrot, green beans and celery go in for crunch, and the meat goes back in at the end. This version poaches the chicken in the stock first, so nothing is wasted. It should be moist and glossy, never soupy. Squeeze calamansi over each plate.
What you'll need
17 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Chicken, boneless thighs400 g
- Chicken stock700 ml
- Vermicelli rice noodles, bihon250 g
- Prawn, peeled150 g
- Neutral oil30 ml
- Garlic, chopped4 clove
- Onion, sliced1 medium
- Carrot, in matchsticks1 medium
- Green beans, sliced on the diagonal100 g
- Celery, stick, thinly sliced1
- Cabbage, shredded200 g
- Soy sauce59 ml
- Oyster sauce15 ml
- Fish sauce15 ml
- Black pepper2½ ml
- Spring onion, sliced2
- Lime, calamansi halves, or lime wedges4
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Simmer the chicken in the stock for 20 minutes until cooked through. Lift it out, shred it and keep the stock; you need about 500 ml.
20 min
Step 2
Soak the noodles in cold water for 10 minutes until pliable, then drain. Hot water softens them too early and they break in the wok.
10 min
Step 3
Heat the oil in a wok and fry the garlic and onion for a minute. Add the prawns and cook 2 minutes until pink, then lift them out. Stir-fry the carrot, green beans and celery for 2 minutes, add the cabbage for 1 minute more, and lift out about half the vegetables.
7 min
Step 4
Pour 500 ml of the stock into the wok with the soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce and pepper and bring it to a boil. Add the drained noodles and toss with tongs for 4 to 5 minutes until they have absorbed nearly all the liquid.
6 min
Tip: If the noodles are still firm when the liquid has gone, add the remaining stock a ladle at a time.
Step 5
Fold through the chicken, prawns and reserved vegetables and toss for a minute to heat. Serve with spring onion and calamansi to squeeze.
2 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 293 kcal
- Protein
- 32.7 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 7.3 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.2 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 3.8 g
- Sodium
- 1448 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Soy
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Prawns → More chicken, or thin slices of pork
Leave out the oyster sauce too for a shellfish-free pancit.
Tips
- Do not cut the noodles. Long noodles for long life, and they also hold together better.
- Calamansi is sharp and floral. Lime with a squeeze of orange gets close.
- It holds well for an hour covered with foil or banana leaf, which is why it travels to parties.
History & culture
There is pancit at every Filipino birthday, because noodles stand for long life and you do not cut them. It is carried to parties on a bilao, a round woven tray lined with banana leaf, and served at office parties, wakes and fiestas. Bihon is often cooked together with canton egg noodles in the same pan.
Noodles came with Hokkien Chinese traders and settlers, and the word pancit is usually traced to a Hokkien phrase for something conveniently cooked. Bihon is the Hokkien name for rice vermicelli. By the 19th century Chinese-run panciterias in Manila sold noodles to everyone, and each province went on to make its own version.
Traditional — Many cooks add slices of Chinese sausage or pork belly, and some use annatto for colour. Calamansi is the small Filipino citrus; lime is the usual stand-in abroad.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Pancit bihon take?
1 hr all in — 25 min prep, 35 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Soy, Fish, Shellfish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
9 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Wok, Tongs, Chef's knife.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Soy sauce — 4 tbsp; Oyster sauce — 1 tbsp; Fish sauce — 1 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.
How much soy sauce?
4 tbsp of Soy sauce.
How much oyster sauce?
1 tbsp of Oyster sauce.
How much fish sauce?
1 tbsp of Fish sauce.
What can I use instead?
Prawns → More chicken, or thin slices of pork. Leave out the oyster sauce too for a shellfish-free pancit.
Any tips from this recipe?
Do not cut the noodles. Long noodles for long life, and they also hold together better. Calamansi is sharp and floral. Lime with a squeeze of orange gets close. It holds well for an hour covered with foil or banana leaf, which is why it travels to parties.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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