Pancit Bihon is a popular Filipino dish served almost every day because of it’s quick, easy, and crowd-pleasing taste!
What is Pancit Bihon?
Pancit Bihon is an all-time favorite and a staple in every Filipino gathering. It is “believed” to symbolize a long life when it is prepared for birthday parties in a Filipino home.
Filipinos eat Pancit Bihon as is, with other viands, and surprisingly with rice! Filipinos love to eat carbohydrates with other carbohydrates 🙂
Pancit Bihon is also known to be one of the comfort food of Filipinos. This iconic food for special occasions in Filipino homes is believed to have been cooked first by Chinese traders in the Philippines a long time ago.
Then, during the Spanish era, this dish which mainly consists of rice noodles was the first food to be sold for take-out. It was sold in roadside small make-shift restaurants, famously known as carenderia in the Philipines. Since then, Pancit Bihon has never left the Filipino tradition of food and festivities.
Tips and Tricks for Making This Quick & Easy Pancit Bihon Recipe:
- Use extra-firm tofu in this vegan Filipino dish. You will love that crunch and delicious texture with the veggies and rice noodles.
- Don’t soak the pancit bihon noodles more than 15 minutes. Soaking it longer would make the noodles soggy.
- The vegetables are best eaten when cooked just right. Don’t overcook it.
How to Make this Quick & Easy Pancit Bihon Recipe:
Here is the quick look of the ingredients for Pancit Bihon:
- extra firm tofu
- pancit bihon noodles
- garlic
- red shallots
- water
- Lauriat Soy Sauce
- dark brown sugar
- Baguio beans
- carrots
- sayote
- red or green pepper
- cabbage
- soy sauce
- stir fry seasoning
- Salt & pepper
In a large bowl, add room temperature water and soak the pancit bihon for about 15 minutes or until it softens, then drain the water using a colander. Set that aside.
Pre-heat a nonstick pan with some vegetable oil and fry tofu and season with salt and pepper (while tofu is frying in the pan) then set aside. (see here how to fry tofu)
In the same pan, add oil and heat for a few minutes, then add the garlic, onions and cook until fragrant:
Then add 1 ½ cup water:
After 2 minutes, add ¼ cup lauriat soy sauce and season with more salt and pepper. Add dark brown sugar and allow it to boil:
Put some msg-free seasoning to the sauce:
Once it’s boiling, add the pancit bihon and mix until the sauce is absorbed:
Once it’s absorbed, transfer the pancit bihon in a bowl and set aside:
In the same pan, add 2 tbsp of water, baguio beans, carrots, sayote, red or green peppers, and stir fry the veggies for about 3 minutes:
Next mix in the cabbage and cover with a lid until veggies are well cooked. Add fried tofu:
Add 1 teaspoon soy sauce, season with salt, pepper:
Now it’s time to add the msg free stirfry seasoning/MSG free mushroom powder or broth powder to add flavor:
Finally, mix in the pancit bihon and serve hot:
Pancit Bihon is a delicious Filipino dish that is so easy and quick to cook! It’s so filling, more like comfort food. Yum!
Pancit Bihon is a complete meal in itself. With all the veggies, rice noodles and tofu for protein, you get all the nutrients you need in a meal!
Frequently Asked Questions for the Quick & Easy Pancit Bihon Recipe:
Q: Where can I get Mushroom Powder?
A: Local Asian market or Trader Joes. Both are MSG-free and if you purchase mushroom powder at the Asian market, you can get a decent size for about $5.00.
Q: Can I use a regular brand soy sauce instead of Lauriat Soy Sauce?
A: Yes, but the Lauriat brand has a better taste compared to all soy sauces. (This is just my opinion. 🙂
Q: What are Baguio beans and where can I buy it?
A: Baguio beans also known as green beans are commonly grown in Baguio, a cold place in the Philippines. You can get them in Asian grocery stores and markets.
Q: What are Baguio beans and where can I buy it?
A: Baguio beans also known as green beans are commonly grown in Baguio, a cold place in the Philippines. You can get them in Asian grocery stores and markets.
Q: How long can Pancit Bihon be kept in the fridge?
A: You can keep this in the fridge for two days at most. As it is made with soft rice noodles, it cannot be kept too long in the fridge.
My favorite Filipino Recipes:
Happy Cooking!
Pancit Bihon
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu cubed and fried
- 400 grams pancit bihon noodles
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 red shallots
- 1 ½ cup of water
- ¼ cup Lauriat Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup baguio beans sliced
- 1 cup carrots thinly sliced
- 1 cup sayote thinly sliced
- ½ of a red or green pepper chopped
- 1 cup cabbage sliced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon stir fry seasoning optional
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add room temperature water and soak pancit bihon for about 15 minutes or until it softens, then drain the water using a colander.
- Pre-heat a nonstick pan with some vegetable oil and fry tofu and season with salt and pepper (while tofu is frying in the pan) then set aside. (see here how to fry tofu)
- In the same pan, add oil and heat for a few minutes, then add the garlic, onions and cook until fragrant. Then add 1 ½ cup water.
- After 2 minutes, add ¼ cup lauriat soy sauce and season with more salt and pepper. Add dark brown sugar and allow it to boil. Once it’s boiling, add the pancit bihon and mix until the sauce is absorbed. Once it’s absorbed, transfer the pancit bihon in a bowl and set aside.
- In the same pan, add 2 tbsp of water, baguio beans, carrots, sayote, red or green peppers, and stir fry the veggies for about 3 minutes. Next mix in the cabbage and cover with a lid until vegies are well cooked
- Add fried tofu.
- Add 1 teaspoon soy sauce, season with salt, pepper and msg free stirfy seasoning/MSG free mushroom powder or broth powder to add flavor .
- Finally, mix in the pancit bihon and serve hot.
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This is so easy to make! I didn’t have tofu so I used veggie meat!
Hi Leeane, that’s a great alternative! Thank you for trying out this recipe! Are you a fan of Filipino dishes?