How to cook Bihon rice sticks (Filipino)?!
How to cook Bihon rice sticks (Filipino)?
A co-worker of mine kindly bought some rice sticks for me from a Filipino store, but I'm not sure how to cook them. The recipe on the bag says to soak and drain them, but I'm not sure how. I looked at a couple pancit recipes online, but none are very specific on how to do this... How long should they be soaked? How hot should the water be? Etc. Please be detailed!
Answers: Bihon rice stick is essentially a vermicelli if you're familiar with it. So you can put it in a broth (as soup), or stri fry them just like when you stir fry noodle. Btw, make sure that you drown them into a hot water bath first for 20 mins or so until it becomes soft if you plan to cook them any way other than boiling. i believe it is 20 mins in hot water. you can feel the texture of it when its done. it will break easy. PANCIT BIHON (Phillipines Rice Sticks)
Lemon wedges
1 chicken breast, skin removed, boiled and shredded, save broth
1/2 lb. med. shrimp, shelled, deveined and split into 2
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 med. onion, sliced
1/2 med. cabbage, sliced fine
3 med. carrots, finely sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced crosswise
1 c. fresh green beans, French cut
4 hard cooked eggs, sliced
5 stalks scallions, sliced thin
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
MSG (optional)
1 pkg. (1 lb.) rice sticks, soaked in water for 10 min. and drained
Heat oil on medium heat. Brown garlic. Add onions followed by shrimp. Saute for 3 minutes. Add chicken, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add carrots, celery and green beans. Stir fry for 2 more minutes or until tender. Add cabbage, stir fry for 2 minutes. Remove to dish.
In the same skillet, boil the chicken broth. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add rice sticks. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes, adding more broth if necessary. Add half of chicken vegetable mixture. Mix well cooking for 3-5 more minutes. Transfer to serving dish. Garnish with boiled eggs, scallions and lemon wedges. lol my mom makes pancit all the time, for the bihon just soak it in water for 30 mins, doesnt have to be hot, and when your ready to put it in your pancit drain and stir fry =) I usually soak them for about 20 minutes in warm water. If it's still a little hard, it gets softer when you cook them.