Miki Bihon

Level up your pancit guisado! A delightful combination of two noodle varieties, meat, shrimp, and vegetables, Miki BIhon makes a hearty and tasty midday snack or main dish.

Pancit dishes are fixtures in almost any Filipino occasion, especially during birthdays, as they symbolize long life. A few of the most popular noodles that usually grace the table are the Pancit Bihon, Pancit Canton, and Pancit Palabok. But have you heard of Miki Bihon?

Miki Bihon is a Filipino stir-fried noodle dish that combines fresh egg noodles (Miki) and rice noodles (bihon). Like most pancit guisado recipes, it’s packed with an assortment of meats and veggies for a delicious and filling dish that you can enjoy any time of the day!

Ingredients

There are no fast rules on what ingredients to use. You can prepare it with whatever meat, seafood, and vegetables you have on hand.

• Miki– a type of fresh egg noodles that are soft and pale yellow in color. It needs to be refrigerated and used within several days after purchase.
• Bihon- dry, thin noodles made of cornstarch or rice flour. It can be stored indefinitely outside of refrigeration.

• Chicken– the recipe calls for boneless, skinless thigh meat, but you can also use chicken breast for a leaner alternative. Other meat options include diced pork, thinly-sliced beef, and hamonado or lap Cheong sausages.
• Fish balls– are popular in the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia. They are round in shape, most often made from cuttlefish or pollock. You can also use shrimp or squid balls.
• Shrimp– buy fresh, shell-on shrimp and peel them yourself! Frozen, peeled variety may be convenient to use but tend to be rubbery and to lack the sweet taste when cooked.
• Vegetables– I used napa cabbage and carrots in this recipe. Feel free to substitute or add green beans, snow peas, celery, cabbage, green onions, and whatever vegetables you have available.

• Kecap Manis – word manis means “sweet” in Malay/Indonesian, so it is often referred to as “sweet soy sauce.” It has a dark color, syrupy consistency, and a molasses-like flavor due to the generous addition of palm sugar. It’s also flavored with garlic, and star anise truly adds dimension to our Miki bihon.

Helpful tips

• Blanch the Miki noodles briefly in boiling water to rid of natural oils and drain well. This is a quick process as you don’t want the noodles to turn mushy.
• I also like to parboil the bihon in broth instead of soaking in warm water to soften. This simple trick of submerging and BRIEFLY cooking the noodles in stock adds more depth of flavor. Again this is a very quick step and is only to loosen and slightly soften the strands as the noodles will finish cooking during the stir-fry process.

• For fast and even cooking, cut the meat and vegetables in uniform and bite sizes.
• A wok is best for stir-frying but a wide skillet with high sides will work as well.
• To keep the noodles intact and lessen breakage, use tongs to toss the ingredients together.

How to serve

• Miki Bihon as delicious as a midday snack or main dish. Serve on its own or with pandesal or puto on the side.
• Filipino stir-fried noodle dishes are often enjoyed with a spritz of freshly-squeezed calamansi (or citrus such as lime or lemon) juice to brighten flavors.
• To store leftovers, allow to cool completely and transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate for up 3 days. Unfortunately, this dish does not freeze well as the noodles turn mushy when frozen and thawed.
• Reheat in the microwave at 1 to 2-minute intervals until completely heated through, stirring well between intervals.