I was dreaming of carbohydrates last night. That is a bad sign. I never remember my dreams in the morning so if I can distinctly picture potatoes, spaghetti, sotanghon, bread slices et al, that means I 
am in the “danger zoneâ€. I have not completely given up all carbohydrates in my current attempt to lose some weight; in fact, I am eating some brown rice, some whole wheat bread and yesterday I even purchased some whole wheat pasta. But my body knows when it is under attack or it is being deprived, and the shortage of honest to goodness bad carbohydrates is rearing its ugly side. So when I was passing by the kitchen an hour ago and sniffed something cooking away, I knew instantly it must contain carbs…the bad kind. Boy, was I right. Doesn’t this dish of pancit bihon or bihon guisado just look spectacular?
This was the crew’s lunch today. And I was supposed to have a nice salad with some pan-seared turkey instead. I had both. But I just one helping of pancit. Bad, I know, but you only live once. 
To make, heat up a wok or pan and stir fry some serious amounts of sliced up pork with fat and whole or chopped cloves of garlic. Add some chopped onions, sliced green beans, cabbage, capsicums or sweet bell peppers if you have them, julienned carrots, and sauté until cooked. Add some patis and or soy sauce and enough water or broth to ensure that the bihon gets cooked and the resulting dish is relatively dry. Add more water or broth if necessary. Add some achuete oil if you want color. Perfect served with some calamansi halves. Many other vegetables would work with this dish. This is noodle comfort food in my opinion (along with several other ways of eating noodles). I don’t think I will be dreaming this evening.
33 Responses
this food is what my mother cannot perfect..i don’t know why….either mushy or dry….that’s why it is not in her list of “celebration” food…..pity….
i like it with lots of calamansi…and rice….hehehe……
if i have a craving for pancit, has to be bihon guisado, or chamisua (w/ braised peanuts) or hap chang’s singapore noodles. next to bihon guisado is hap chang’s (available only at hapchang neptune in makati avenue) singapore noodles. this curried pancit has asado slices, onion leeks, braised peanuts and scrambled eggs (food coloring is imported from hongkong). yum
With calamansi, soy sauce and fresh ground black pepper on the side and regular soda I’m in Cloud 9. It is the main feature in our house whenever we have gathering. To make it is a breeze. Versatility of vegetables going in it is up to your heart’s desire. I guess the key to a good pancit is the bihon itself. It must be the good quality bihon.
i love this with sitsaro, baguio beans and some cabbage also… also with some pork, squidballs and kikiam.. i love my pancit loaded with sahog.. hehehe!! i don’t know why but i love eating pancir with coffee.. weird but i always ask for a cup of coffee whenever we have pancit..
The same neighbour who afforded us the taste of way out delicacies also cooked this kind of pancit and its soup version that drew gourmands all over the area to detour and congregate at her shop often. What set her’s apart was the combination of bihon and miki and the ever-present patola and her secret, if at all, was the stocktank of pig’s heads and bones perpetually kept at a bare simmer in the back burner. On meatless Fridays and Holidays she ostensibly replaced the tiny thin pork pieces with slices of soaked dried squid and hibi though still openly dipping into the very same pork stock.
With carbohydrates-dodging a central preoccupation now, I often recreate it here using taofu noodles, chewier, even tastier when reheated and sticks to the ribs guiltlessly.
I like eating this kind of pancit with sliced white bread. Take one slice of the bread, fill with pancit, fold and enjoy! Yummy.
Taufu noodles? Please, enlighten me Apicio. Miki-bihon, I luv but with patola? first time to hear. Maria Clara is right, must be GOOD QUALITY bihon. What brand MC? I normally use L&W from Taiwan, hindi nadudurog ang bihon threads.
Yep, long strands of thin sliced dòufu skin that look exactly like miki only more durable and do not break down when overcooked. I was so relieved to find it in the cooler among all the other noodles because it was getting to the point of being grossed out by the amount of beansprout I use to take the place of noodles just to avoid carbs. When I mentioned this proud discovery to a friend, he said he once watched a demonstration of home-made noodles using soya flour on the food channel.
bihon…bihon…bihon… my ultimate comfort food. Kahit anong luto basta bihon. May sabaw, guisado even crispy. May itbe maalat or matabang. Ado’s Panciteria, who imho, is one of the best panciteria’s in pasig, even specializes in pansit tostado. yummy!
when we were young, when my dad comes home late, he usually has pansit as pasalubong from Ado’s. He would then proceed to wake us up just to have us eat the pansit with hot pandesal. midnight snacking at 1am!
Erleen, I remember that Pancit from Pasig. It’s fried bihon with either toasted pork slices or chicharon on top. Really yummy! But imagine all the oil that was used to come up with the tostado. Deadly!
The last time I had this pancit tostado was 15 years ago. I have never been able to duplicate it.
whenever I see bihon and sotanghon guisado, I always choose bihon, I don’t know, but for me, bihon really is better. . .
mr. cariaga, what’s the difference between bihon and sotanghon guisado? they look the same to me.
for me the best bihon or sotanghon guisado is by Chato’s in sta. rosa. laguna. they add crushed chicharon and sliced hard boiled egg. yum! then their halo-halo for dessert.
is Ado’s still around?
Mandy, bihon is generally opaque and I think made of wheat or rice flour while sotanghon is generally clearer or mre translucent when cooked and made from mung bean flour…they are noticeably different, I think… the texture of the sotanghon is softer and chewier or more elastic than bihon…
I miss bihon guisado hehe, I can have this for merienda everyday, I dunno, pero hindi ako nakakarami pag sotanghon hehe, it just tastes different. . .
Try the seafood noodles at Mei Lin Bistro along Jupiter St. At Php 150 a serving good for 2 to 3 people, it is to die for. =)
Marketman, since sotanghon is made from mung bean does that mean that it’s not a carb like bihon or canton noodles which are made from rice flour?
miss mita, yes, Ado’s is still around. same location but they’ve renovated the building. I think they still have the same hours. Closed in the mornings and open from 2pm-2am. Though the jukebox is no longer there.
cindy, that is a BRILLIANT question. But I don’t know the answer…I would LIKE to believe sotanghon is good for you and will go by that premise until a food scientist tells me otherwise…good thinking on that! erleen, thanks for that info on Ado’s.
Please e-mail me the exact location of Ado’s as well as their phone nos., thanks
Pilar, I don’t know where Ado’s is. Other readers such as erleen may help by leaving a comment…
thanks for getting back to me. Ado’s was featured in tonight’s Rated K by Korina Sanchez. Masarap raw ang pansit palabok doon. Just curious where it’s located. Dadayuin ko talaga. hehehe
hello! was searching about ado’s pancit bec it was featured in balitang k last night. just wanna ask where it is exactly located. thanks!
they are located in 126 A. Luna St. Bgy. Malinao in pasig. near sumilang, just before pasig simbahan. here is their number: (02) 641-1851
erleen, thank you so much for that information, I’m sure the other readers also appreciate it…
no problem MM. just spreading the word.
for those coming from makati via C5, use the newly opened bridge in bagong ilog. using the the rightmost lane in C5, use the service road going to pasig, then turn right at the first road you see. it is a oneway road so it is very hard to get lost. just follow it until you reach the end. as soon as you turn left, you would see Ado’s building. Tumbok yun.
thanks erleen. will try their pansit sooner than I thought.
ADO’s, lagi ko siyang naririnig dito sa ofis pero di ko pa sya nasusubukan….
masarap daw siya as in… hehehee
makapunta nga mamaya…
hi all! Tried Ado’s last Saturday. Dinayo ko talaga sa Pasig, noh. For those commuting, take Pasig Jeep (San Joaquin, not Palengke). Get off dulo ng Sumilang, before Bangbang bridge. When you get off, makikita na yong Ado’s. Ang sarap! I bought 2 big bilao to Manila. Masarap sya. Main and special sahog is their chicharon. Kaya lang, the next morning, sakit ng lalamunan ko. It’s worth the trip. Thanks Erleen!
guys the miki guisado (thick noodles) in delicious restaurant in sta. cruz is also ok. i have been eating there since i was young. it’s near avenida, rizal.
I love noodles be it Bihon, sotanghon, canton, misua etc. I cook my own noodles. Mr. Marketman, what brand are you using for bihon, sotanghon & canton? I’d like to try habhab next time. I like my bihon soft but not mushy. I put lots of chicharo, cabbage, carrots and green onions in all my pancit. I also love pad thai noodles.
joy, I only pay attention to sotanghon, and there I LOVE Lung Kow, and be careful, there are a lot of copycats. so you must find original lung kow vermicelli or sotanghon noodles. I bought my habhab in the wet markets. The cook is the one that buys canton, but lately they have been sooo mushy. I am not sure what brand of bihon we purchase…
everytime my papa cook this kind of food i cant control myself to eat a lot.. he cooks it so yummy that i always crave for.. especially when it has a lot of meat, shrimp, carrots, chinise belbao, and cabbage..
i always wanted my father to cook bihon guinisa or fresh miki guinisa.. and i want to learn how to cook it perfectly just like my papa did for my future husband and baby.. (well, that will happen 8years from now.. =D)