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This Filipino Pancit Bihon is a staple at all of my family get-togethers. It is a rice noodle dish that is loaded with vegetables and served with a sprinkle of green onions and spritz of fresh citrus juice. It is packed with flavor and filling enough to serve as a main dish. It’s something that I used to have at almost weekly growing up and it’s a dish that I am extra excited to share with you today.
Pancit comes in many different forms, and today I am specifically showing you how to make Pancit Bihon, which uses “Bihon” or rice sticks, vegan chicken and vegetables. Shoutout to my mom for sharing this recipe with us! This recipe is specifically an adaptation of her recipe from our ebook, Planting Our Roots.
This vegan pancit was the very first Filipino recipe that my mom made for me when I went vegan. I remember I was afraid that I was not going to be able to eat the Filipino foods that I grew up with ever again, but my mom couldn’t let that happen. Pancit was actually very easy for her to veganize and she began making only vegan pancit from then on.
Here is what you are going to need for this recipe:
- A large wok: or the biggest pan you have.
- Bihon noodles: These are made with rice and cornstarch, and are naturally gluten-free. We pick ours up at our local asian market, but any vermicelli noodle should work in its place.
- Onion and garlic: Simple yet essential aromatic flavor base to start this dish off right. We usually use white or yellow onion, but we have seen this made with red onion as well.
- Vegan chicken strips: although we did use a vegan chicken in place of the real thing, you can totally leave that out of that is not your thing! You can replace it with tofu, too.
- Vegetables: Today we are using chayote, cabbage, zucchini, carrots and bok choy. Feel free to add more or less of each depending on what you have or prefer. Other vegetables that we like to sometimes add are snap peas, bell peppers, mushrooms, and celery.
- Vegan chicken broth: Any vegetable broth will work, but I like to use this to bring in that “authentic” chicken flavor that my mom’s pancit used to have.
- Soy sauce: Opt for tamari or even coconut aminos for a gluten-free pancit.
- Sesame oil: This is totally optional but we sometimes like to add a quick drizzle at the end to bring in more flavor.
- Salt and black pepper: Only add as needed. I never add extra salt since it doesn’t need any, I just add pepper.
- Green onions: mixed in at the end or used as a garnish to finish off the dish
- Calamansi juice or lemon juice: This is a must when you are serving the dish, it really brings everything together. Calamansi is preferred but sometimes hard to locate, so lemon is our second recommendation.
If you’re looking for more vegan filipino recipes, we’ve got you covered:
- Vegan Filpino Chicken Adobo
- Vegan Pandesal aka Filipino Bread Rolls
- Vegan Chicken Afritada
- Vegan Filipino Garlic Fried Rice aka Sinangag (3-Ingredients)
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!
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Vegan Filipino Pancit Bihon
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: About 8 servings
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Filipino Pancit Bihon is a staple at all of my family get togethers. It is a rice noodle dish that is loaded with vegetables and served with a sprinkle of green onions and spritz of fresh citrus juice. It is packed with flavor and filling enough to serve as a main dish.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bihon noodles (or rice vermicelli noodles)
- Lukewarm water, as needed
- 1 small white onion, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 8 ounces vegan chicken, cut into strips
- 1 cup julienned chayote
- 1 cup sliced cabbage
- 1 cup julienned zucchini
- 1 cup julienned carrots
- 2 large bok choy, chopped into small pieces
- 2 cups vegan chicken broth
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
- Optional: 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3 green onions, finely sliced
- Calamansi juice or lemon juice
Instructions
- Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover them with lukewarm water. When the noodles are soft, after about 10 minutes, drain and set noodles aside.
- In a wok or large saucepan over medium heat, add in the oil along with the onions and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add in the vegan chicken and continue cooking until the onions are translucent, about 2 minutes more. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add in the remaining vegetables along with a splash of the vegetable broth and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender.
- Remove the vegetables from the wok and set them aside. If there is leftover liquid, just leave it in the wok.
- To the wok, add in the remaining broth and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer and then add in the noodles. Allow the noodles to simmer for about 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Add in the vegetables, vegan chicken, green onions, and optional sesame oil. Gently toss with tongs until uniform. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve with calamansi or lemon and enjoy!
Notes
- Chop all of the vegetables into similarly sized pieces so that they all cook evenly.
- We used purple cabbage for this but keep in mind that it may discolor the noodles. To prevent that, use green cabbage.
- Feel free to change up the vegetables based on what you have at home!
- If you do not have or do not want to use the vegan chicken, you can leave it out or swap it with finely diced tofu.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Entree, Side
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Filipino
Nutrition facts label provided by Nutri Fox.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!
this is so good!!! My work friend sent me this recipe and said this vegan version is very close to authentic, with fish sauce etc. she also very kindly gifted me “Datu Puti Toyomansi, Soy Sauce with Calamansi” and it has such a unique flavour to it. Thank you!
Made this for breakfast 😂. I’m the only one whose plant based in the home, my Filipino born husband tries what I eat but he can’t shake his carnivore cravings. I made this as a surprise and added in half a jalapeño at the end. He’s currently on his third serving.
Thank you! I made this for a vegan potluck. It was a seller! I did some tweaks to it though coz I didn’t have all the ingredients. Still turned out amazing!!!
Made this recipe twice, and I love it every time! Once everything is cut up, the dish comes together very quickly. I used tofu instead of chicken. This is a wonderfully filling gluten-free dish!
Swapped tempeh for vegan chicken. It was very good.
This was delicious and other than chopping all the vegetables, very easy to make. Wish I had a sous chef. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.