[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":406},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:pancit-bihon":3,"recipe:country:philippines":194},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"pronunciation":7,"countrySlug":8,"emoji":9,"summary":10,"intro":11,"story":12,"whyThis":13,"tips":18,"substitutions":25,"variations":42,"serveWith":52,"storage":54,"faq":55,"equipment":71,"baseServings":75,"prepMinutes":76,"cookMinutes":76,"difficulty":77,"course":78,"diet":80,"mainIngredients":82,"ingredients":89,"instructions":147,"nutrition":174,"images":181,"keywords":185,"publishedAt":192,"updatedAt":192,"authorSlug":193},"pancit-bihon","Pancit Bihon (Filipino Stir-Fried Rice Noodles)","Pancit bihon guisado","pan-SIT BEE-hon","philippines","🍜","Thin rice noodles simmered straight in seasoned chicken stock with shrimp, cabbage and carrot until every strand has drunk it up. The birthday dish, eaten uncut for long life.","Pancit bihon is a stir-fry where the noodles absorb rather than swim: thin rice vermicelli is added to a pan of seasoned chicken stock and tossed until every strand has drunk the liquid up, taking on colour from soy sauce and savour from the chicken and shrimp cooked with it. Cabbage and carrot stay crisp, scallions go over at the end, and each portion gets a squeeze of calamansi that lifts the whole plate. It tastes gently salty and faintly sweet, more comforting than dramatic, and it feeds a crowd from one pan in twenty minutes. Filipinos cook it for birthdays without fail.","Pancit is Chinese in origin and thoroughly Filipino in practice. The word comes from Hokkien — pian e sit, roughly \"something conveniently cooked\" — and arrived with the Chinese traders and migrants who have been part of Philippine port life for centuries. What arrived as a noodle dish became dozens of them, each named for its noodle or its town: bihon for thin rice vermicelli, canton for wheat egg noodles, sotanghon for glass noodles, palabok for the thick rice noodle under a shrimp-and-annatto sauce, malabon for its seafood-heavy home city, habhab from Lucban eaten off a banana leaf without utensils. Bihon is the everyday one, and bihon-canton — both noodles in the same pan — is the compromise served when the family cannot agree.\n\nThe birthday rule is real and taken seriously. Long noodles symbolise long life, so pancit appears at every birthday table, and there is a genuine superstition against cutting the strands, whether with scissors in the kitchen or a knife on the plate. You will see people at a party lift a whole tangle and work through it rather than break it. This is not a folk belief people merely know about — it actively governs how the dish is served.\n\nBeyond birthdays, pancit is the workhorse of Filipino gatherings: cheap, endlessly scalable, cooked in a wok the size of a bathtub for fiestas, and forgiving of whatever protein and vegetables are on hand. The technique that makes or breaks it is simple and slightly counterintuitive — the dried noodles go into the pan with the stock rather than being boiled separately, so they hydrate in flavour instead of water. Get the ratio right and the noodles finish exactly as the liquid disappears. Get it wrong and you have either a soup or a pan of dry, chalky strands.",[14,15,16,17],"Hydrates the noodles directly in seasoned stock, which is what gives real pancit its flavour all the way through instead of a coating of sauce.","Vegetables are stir-fried and removed before the noodles go in, so they stay crisp rather than steaming into limpness.","Gives a workable stock-to-noodle ratio, the single number most pancit recipes leave you to guess at.","Chicken and shrimp are cooked separately and returned at the end, so neither one overcooks while the noodles finish.",[19,20,21,22,23,24],"Soak the dried bihon in cool water for 10 minutes and drain — no longer. Fully soaked noodles turn to paste in the pan; unsoaked ones need too much stock and cook unevenly.","Use roughly three times the noodle weight in stock and add it in two stages. Adding it all at once means you cannot correct if the noodles finish early.","Toss with two wooden spatulas or tongs, lifting from underneath rather than stirring in circles. Circular stirring breaks the strands, which is both bad texture and, at a birthday, bad manners.","Cook the shrimp for barely a minute and pull them out. They will finish in the residual heat when you fold them back at the end.","Season the stock before the noodles go in, not after. Once the liquid is absorbed you can only season the surface, and it never evens out.","Serve calamansi or lime wedges on the side and mean it — the acid is not garnish, it is what stops the dish tasting flat and heavy.",[26,30,34,38],{"original":27,"swap":28,"note":29},"Bihon (rice vermicelli)","Thin rice stick noodles, or wheat egg noodles for pancit canton","Any thin dried rice noodle works. Fresh rice noodles do not — they need no hydration, so the whole stock-absorption method falls apart.",{"original":31,"swap":32,"note":33},"Calamansi","Lime wedges, or lemon","Calamansi is more floral and slightly less sharp. Lime is the closest and completely acceptable; use a little less of it.",{"original":35,"swap":36,"note":37},"Oyster sauce","An extra tablespoon of soy sauce plus a pinch of sugar","Oyster sauce adds body and a savoury sweetness. Without it the dish is a touch thinner but still correct — plenty of households skip it.",{"original":39,"swap":40,"note":41},"Chicken and shrimp","Pork shoulder in thin strips, Chinese sausage, or firm tofu and extra vegetables","Pancit takes any protein. For a vegetarian version use a strong mushroom stock, since the chicken stock is doing a lot of the flavour work.",[43,46,49],{"name":44,"description":45},"Pancit bihon-canton","Half rice vermicelli, half wheat egg noodles in the same pan. The contrast of soft and chewy is the reason this is the most-ordered version at Filipino parties.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Pancit palabok","A different animal: thick rice noodles under an orange annatto-shrimp gravy, topped with crushed pork rinds, smoked fish flakes, boiled egg and fried garlic.",{"name":50,"description":51},"Pancit sotanghon","Made with glass noodles instead, usually with chicken and wood ear mushrooms, and often tinted with annatto. Lighter and slippery rather than soft.",[53],"Calamansi or lime wedges, a bowl of steamed rice — yes, Filipinos eat rice with noodles — and puto rice cakes if you are doing it properly.","Pancit keeps 3 days refrigerated but the noodles keep absorbing and go soft and clumped. Reheat in a hot pan with a splash of stock and a little oil, tossing until the strands loosen and steam, rather than microwaving to a solid block. It does not freeze — thawed rice noodles turn mushy and break. Cook only what you will eat within a couple of days, or hold back some stock and finish a second batch fresh.",[56,59,62,65,68],{"question":57,"answer":58},"Why is pancit served at every Filipino birthday?","Long noodles symbolise long life, a belief inherited from the dish's Chinese origins, so pancit is considered close to obligatory at birthdays. The strands are traditionally left uncut for the same reason — cutting them is seen as shortening the life being celebrated, and you will see hosts refuse scissors in the kitchen over it.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"Why did my noodles come out mushy?","Either they were soaked too long before cooking or there was too much stock in the pan. Bihon needs only about 10 minutes in cool water, just enough to become flexible, and roughly three parts stock to one part dry noodle by weight. Add the stock in two stages so you can stop early if the noodles are already tender.",{"question":63,"answer":64},"Do I boil the noodles first?","No — that is the key difference between pancit and most noodle stir-fries. Briefly soaked noodles go straight into the pan with seasoned stock and finish by absorbing it, which is how the flavour gets inside the strand rather than sitting on the outside. Pre-boiling gives you bland noodles in sauce.",{"question":66,"answer":67},"Can I make pancit ahead for a party?","Partly. Prepare the protein and vegetables and measure out the stock in advance, then do the noodle stage in the last fifteen minutes — that part does not hold well. If you must cook it fully ahead, undercook the noodles slightly and hold back 100 ml of stock to revive them in the pan before serving.",{"question":69,"answer":70},"What is the difference between bihon and canton?","Bihon are thin rice vermicelli, gluten-free and soft when cooked. Canton are wheat-based egg noodles, thicker and chewier, closer to lo mein. They are cooked by the same method and are frequently combined in one pan as pancit bihon-canton, which is the most popular version at gatherings.",[72,73,74],"Large wok or wide sauté pan","Tongs or two wooden spatulas","Colander",6,20,"easy",[79],"main",[81],"dairy-free",[83,84,85,86,87,88],"rice-noodles","chicken","shrimp","cabbage","carrot","soy-sauce",[90,95,100,104,109,114,117,120,124,128,132,134,138,140,144],{"ref":83,"qty":91,"unit":92,"name":93,"group":94},300,"g","dried bihon (thin rice vermicelli)","Noodles",{"ref":96,"qty":97,"unit":98,"name":99,"group":94},"stock",900,"ml","chicken stock",{"ref":88,"qty":101,"unit":102,"name":103,"group":94},4,"tbsp","soy sauce",{"ref":105,"qty":106,"unit":102,"name":107,"optional":108,"group":94},"oyster-sauce",2,"oyster sauce",true,{"ref":110,"qty":111,"unit":112,"name":113,"group":94},"black-pepper",1,"tsp","freshly ground black pepper",{"ref":84,"qty":91,"unit":92,"name":115,"group":116},"boneless chicken thigh, in thin strips","Protein",{"ref":85,"qty":118,"unit":92,"name":119,"group":116},200,"peeled shrimp",{"qty":121,"unit":102,"name":122,"group":123},3,"neutral oil","Stir-fry",{"ref":125,"qty":75,"unit":126,"name":127,"group":123},"garlic","clove","garlic, minced",{"ref":129,"qty":111,"unit":130,"name":131,"group":123},"onion","piece","onion, thinly sliced",{"ref":87,"qty":106,"unit":130,"name":133,"group":123},"carrots, cut in fine matchsticks",{"ref":135,"qty":136,"unit":92,"name":137,"group":123},"green-beans",120,"green beans or snow peas, sliced on the diagonal",{"ref":86,"qty":91,"unit":92,"name":139,"group":123},"green cabbage, finely shredded",{"ref":141,"qty":101,"unit":130,"name":142,"group":143},"scallions","scallions, sliced","To finish",{"ref":145,"qty":121,"unit":130,"name":146,"group":143},"lime","calamansi or limes, in wedges",[148,153,156,160,163,168,171],{"title":149,"text":150,"timerSeconds":151,"tip":152},"Soak the noodles briefly","Cover the dried bihon with cool water and soak for 10 minutes, until the strands bend without snapping but still feel firm. Drain thoroughly in a colander and set aside.",600,"Ten minutes, not thirty. Over-soaked noodles disintegrate the moment they hit the hot pan.",{"title":154,"text":155},"Season the stock","Stir the soy sauce, oyster sauce and black pepper into the chicken stock and taste it — it should be noticeably saltier than a soup you would drink, since 300 g of noodles are about to absorb all of it.",{"title":157,"text":158,"tip":159},"Cook the protein","Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large wok over high heat and stir-fry the chicken strips for 3 minutes until they lose their pink and start to catch gold at the edges. Add the shrimp for 1 minute more, just until they curl and turn opaque, then lift everything out.","Pull the shrimp early. They finish in residual heat when they go back at the end, and overcooked shrimp go rubbery fast.",{"title":161,"text":162},"Stir-fry the vegetables","Add another tablespoon of oil, then the garlic and onion, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant and translucent. Throw in the carrots and beans for 2 minutes, then the cabbage for 1 minute — it should wilt slightly but still squeak between the teeth. Remove to a plate.",{"title":164,"text":165,"timerSeconds":166,"tip":167},"Hydrate the noodles","Pour two-thirds of the seasoned stock into the empty wok with the last tablespoon of oil and bring it to a hard boil. Add the drained noodles and toss with tongs, lifting from underneath, until the liquid is mostly gone — about 4 minutes.",240,"Lift and fold, never stir in circles. Circular stirring shreds the strands, and at a birthday that is a genuine offence.",{"title":169,"text":170},"Finish with the rest of the stock","Add the remaining stock a splash at a time, tossing between additions, until the noodles are tender all the way through and the pan is dry. Stop adding liquid as soon as they are done — you may not need all of it.",{"title":172,"text":173},"Combine and serve","Fold the chicken, shrimp and vegetables back through the noodles and toss over the heat for a final minute to warm everything and let the last of the moisture go. Scatter with scallions and serve with calamansi wedges for squeezing over each plate.",{"calories":175,"protein":176,"carbs":177,"fat":178,"fiber":101,"sugar":179,"sodium":180,"estimated":108},430,25,54,11,5,1180,[182],{"src":183,"alt":184},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpancit-bihon\u002Fhero.svg","Platter of pancit bihon rice noodles with shrimp, chicken strips, carrot matchsticks and cabbage, calamansi wedges alongside",[186,187,188,189,190,191,8],"pancit","pancit bihon","rice noodles","filipino noodles","birthday noodles","stir fry","2026-08-20","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":195,"total":403,"page":111,"limit":404,"hasMore":405},[196,221,242,268,291,313,334,341,362,383],{"slug":197,"title":198,"nativeName":199,"countrySlug":8,"region":200,"baseServings":101,"prepMinutes":176,"cookMinutes":201,"restMinutes":91,"difficulty":202,"course":203,"diet":204,"mainIngredients":205,"images":210,"keywords":214,"publishedAt":192,"updatedAt":192,"authorSlug":193},"chicken-inasal","Chicken Inasal (Bacolod Charcoal-Grilled Annatto Chicken)","Inasal na manok","Negros Occidental",35,"medium",[79],[81],[84,206,207,208,209,125],"lemongrass","ginger","vinegar","achiote",[211],{"src":212,"alt":213},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fchicken-inasal\u002Fhero.jpg","Charcoal-grilled chicken inasal quarters with orange annatto-lacquered skin beside garlic rice and a vinegar dip",[215,216,217,218,219,220,8],"chicken inasal","bacolod","grilled chicken","annatto","calamansi","filipino barbecue",{"slug":222,"title":223,"nativeName":224,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":101,"prepMinutes":225,"cookMinutes":226,"difficulty":77,"course":227,"diet":228,"mainIngredients":229,"images":231,"keywords":235,"publishedAt":192,"updatedAt":192,"authorSlug":193},"filipino-adobo","Filipino Adobo (Soy-Vinegar Braised Chicken and Pork)","Adobong manok at baboy",15,60,[79],[81],[84,230,88,208,125],"pork-belly",[232],{"src":233,"alt":234},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ffilipino-adobo\u002Fhero.jpg","Dark glossy Filipino adobo of chicken thighs and pork belly with bay leaves and peppercorns beside steamed rice",[236,237,238,239,240,8,241],"adobo","filipino adobo","soy vinegar braise","pork belly","chicken thighs","braised",{"slug":243,"title":244,"nativeName":245,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":101,"prepMinutes":246,"cookMinutes":246,"restMinutes":136,"difficulty":77,"course":247,"diet":249,"mainIngredients":253,"images":257,"keywords":261,"publishedAt":192,"updatedAt":192,"authorSlug":193},"halo-halo","Halo-Halo (Filipino Shaved Ice with Beans and Flan)","Halo-halo",30,[248],"dessert",[250,251,252],"vegetarian","gluten-free","nut-free",[254,255,256],"condensed-milk","eggs","yam",[258],{"src":259,"alt":260},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fhalo-halo\u002Fhero.jpg","Tall glass of Filipino halo-halo with shaved ice, purple ube jam, leche flan cube and layers of sweet beans and jelly",[243,262,263,264,265,266,267],"filipino dessert","shaved ice","ube halaya","leche flan","nata de coco","evaporated milk",{"slug":269,"title":270,"nativeName":271,"countrySlug":8,"region":272,"baseServings":75,"prepMinutes":273,"cookMinutes":274,"difficulty":275,"course":276,"diet":277,"mainIngredients":278,"images":283,"keywords":287,"publishedAt":192,"updatedAt":192,"authorSlug":193},"kare-kare","Kare-Kare (Filipino Oxtail Peanut Stew)","Kare-kare","Pampanga",40,210,"hard",[79],[81,251],[279,280,281,282,135,209],"oxtail","tripe","peanuts","eggplant",[284],{"src":285,"alt":286},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkare-kare\u002Fhero.svg","Kare-kare in an earthenware pot: oxtail in thick orange peanut sauce topped with eggplant, long beans and bok choy",[269,288,279,289,218,290,8],"peanut stew","bagoong","filipino fiesta food",{"slug":292,"title":293,"nativeName":294,"countrySlug":8,"region":295,"baseServings":75,"prepMinutes":225,"cookMinutes":296,"difficulty":202,"course":297,"diet":299,"mainIngredients":300,"images":304,"keywords":308,"publishedAt":192,"updatedAt":192,"authorSlug":193},"laing","Laing (Bicol Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk)","Laing","Bicol",55,[298],"side",[81,251],[301,302,303,207,230],"taro","coconut-milk","shrimp-paste",[305],{"src":306,"alt":307},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Flaing\u002Fhero.svg","Dark laing of collapsed taro leaves in coconut milk with whole green chiles and coconut oil pooling on the surface",[292,309,310,311,312,289,8],"taro leaves","coconut milk","bicol","gata",{"slug":314,"title":315,"nativeName":316,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":101,"prepMinutes":76,"cookMinutes":317,"restMinutes":318,"difficulty":202,"course":319,"diet":320,"mainIngredients":321,"images":323,"keywords":327,"publishedAt":192,"updatedAt":192,"authorSlug":193},"lechon-kawali","Lechon Kawali (Filipino Crispy Fried Pork Belly)","Lechon kawali",75,480,[79],[81,251],[230,322,125,208,110],"bay-leaf",[324],{"src":325,"alt":326},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Flechon-kawali\u002Fhero.svg","Chopped lechon kawali with blistered golden pork crackling and juicy fat, beside a saucer of garlic vinegar dip",[328,329,330,331,332,333,8],"lechon kawali","crispy pork belly","pork crackling","filipino pork","deep fried","spiced vinegar",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":75,"prepMinutes":76,"cookMinutes":76,"difficulty":77,"course":335,"diet":336,"mainIngredients":337,"images":338,"keywords":340,"publishedAt":192,"updatedAt":192,"authorSlug":193},[79],[81],[83,84,85,86,87,88],[339],{"src":183,"alt":184},[186,187,188,189,190,191,8],{"slug":342,"title":343,"nativeName":344,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":101,"prepMinutes":76,"cookMinutes":345,"difficulty":77,"course":346,"diet":348,"mainIngredients":349,"images":353,"keywords":357,"publishedAt":192,"updatedAt":192,"authorSlug":193},"sinigang","Sinigang na Baboy (Sour Tamarind Pork Soup)","Sinigang na baboy",85,[347,79],"soup",[81,251],[230,350,351,282,352],"tamarind","daikon","okra",[354],{"src":355,"alt":356},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsinigang\u002Fhero.svg","Steaming bowl of sinigang na baboy with pork belly, daikon, okra and water spinach in clear sour tamarind broth",[342,358,359,239,360,8,361],"tamarind soup","sour soup","filipino soup","kangkong",{"slug":363,"title":364,"nativeName":365,"countrySlug":8,"region":272,"baseServings":101,"prepMinutes":246,"cookMinutes":366,"difficulty":275,"course":367,"diet":370,"mainIngredients":371,"images":374,"keywords":378,"publishedAt":192,"updatedAt":192,"authorSlug":193},"sisig","Sisig (Sizzling Chopped Pork from Pampanga)","Sisig kapampangan",105,[368,369],"appetizer","street-food",[81],[230,372,129,145,373],"chicken-liver","thai-chili",[375],{"src":376,"alt":377},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsisig\u002Fhero.svg","Sizzling cast iron plate of chopped pork sisig with red onion, chopped chiles, calamansi halves and a raw egg on top",[363,379,380,381,382,219,8],"pampanga","sizzling pork","chopped pork","filipino bar food",{"slug":384,"title":385,"nativeName":386,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":101,"prepMinutes":176,"cookMinutes":176,"restMinutes":318,"difficulty":77,"course":387,"diet":389,"mainIngredients":390,"images":393,"keywords":397,"publishedAt":192,"updatedAt":192,"authorSlug":193},"tapsilog","Tapsilog (Cured Beef Tapa with Garlic Rice and Egg)","Tapsilog",[388,79],"breakfast",[81],[391,392,255,125,88],"beef-brisket","rice",[394],{"src":395,"alt":396},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftapsilog\u002Fhero.svg","Tapsilog plate with caramelised beef tapa, garlic fried rice topped with garlic chips and a sunny side up egg",[384,398,399,400,401,402,8],"beef tapa","sinangag","garlic rice","filipino breakfast","silog",10,24,false,1787360063664]