Sunday, July 8, 2012

Pancit Bihon


My Daughter and Pancit
My special pancit with my special someone
I admit, I'm addicted to korean dramas. Having said that, I get my drama fix in a website that has a chatango chatroom like the one right here in my blog (actually, I got that chat idea from there). I've met a lot of interesting friends, and most of them share the same food love as I do: Pansit

Pansit, or pancit, or whatever you may want to call it, is a dish of stir fried rice noodles (bihon or sotanghon) that is made especially for birthdays. They say long noodles give you long life, and the longer the noodles, the better for pancit.



Ingredients (good for 3 persons)

ingredients
Ingredients for Pancit. Cube is optional
  • 4 cups of unsalted chicken stock (if you don't have chicken stock, use instead 1 chicken broth cube to 4 cups water)
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 120 grams of rice noodles (one bunch in photo is good for one person)
  • 1/3 cup minced onion
  • 1/4 cup minced
  • 1/4 cup carrots cut into strips
  • 1/4 cup beans cut into thin pieces
  • 1/2 cup cabbage cut in small squares 
  • 1/4 cup shrimp, shelled,  deveined, and cut in small pieces if you want
  • 1/4 cup squid, with outer skin removed
  • 1/4 cup shredded chicken meat

Seasonings

  • 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp liquid seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp ground black pepper


*Note: If  you are going to use cubes or salted store bought chicken stock, reduce your soy sauce and liquid seasoning to half.

Procedure
  1. Heat a wok or a large frying pan and put in the oil.
  2. Sweat the garlic and onions at the same time and saute until aromatic.  
  3. Add the oyster sauce and stir fry for a minute
  4. Add in your meat and shrimp and saute until the shrimp turns light pink
  5. Stir in your carrots and beans, then sautee for 30 secs before adding your squid. 
  6. Stir fry for a minute and a half then add your chicken stock
  7. Let it boil, removing the scum or froth that forms at the surface, then add in your liquid seasoning, soy sauce, and pepper.
  8. Add your cabbage and stir for a few seconds before straining all the meat and vegetables out. Keep the broth in the pan.
  9. Add your noodles to the boiling broth and let it boil for 30 secs before you lower the heat to low. 
  10. Stir to flip the noodles so each strand absorbs all the flavor of the broth.

Now you have two options: cook until the noodles are glassy, soft and transparent; or continue to cook it until the noodles become murky.  A fellow chat mate of mine said she wants her noodles a bit "saucy," so  I tried it. I stopped the cooking process once all the noodles are sort of transparent with a barely 1/4 cup of the cooking broth left at the bottom of the pan. My family and I absolutely loved it, and we nearly wiped out the entire plate - if only I did not drink soda.

For others who like it crispy or dry, continue to cook until the noodles are translucent. When the liquid is nearly dried up, add about 2 tablespoons of oil then put the pan in medium-high heat.  This will help you form that crispy crust at the bottom and create a deeper flavor for your pancit.

The secret to really good pancit is your cooking liquid. Whatever flavor you have for your liquid will be the taste of your pancit. And the secret to good broth is long, as in looooong cooking process.  I prepare my broth by simmering the meat and bones for 3 hours in salt-less water. You can cook your pancit in 30 minutes, and that includes the process of cooking your chicken meat.  However, nothing compares to the flavor and color of broth that has been simmered or hours.

If you want to simmer your meat, I suggest you separate the flesh from the bones.  Once you hit the 20-min mark, take out the meat and let it cool. This is to keep your meat from shredding as you stir-fry your ingredients. Watch the video below by Chef John of Foodwishes.com for a complete procedure on how to make your own stock. BTW, you can skip the "herbage" as they can alter the taste of your pancit. However, do keep the celery, onions, carrots, and garlic as they will be the ones to add character to your broth.

If you want to do the broth in a quick 30-min procedure, do take the time to add in a cube to your water after you take out the chicken meat. If you have questions, just send me a message or comment below.

Thanks and happy eating!