This spicy and savoury Vegan Pancit Bihon is a staple of Filipino parties! It comes together all in one pan, and it’s just bursting with tofu and vegetables. Sprinkle a little calamansi lime juice over top and you’re golden.
I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to publish my first Filipino recipe, but this one has been in the making for a loooooong time. My first testing notes on this recipe were from all the way back in 2020! Since then I’ve made it about a dozen more times and I think it’s finally perfect for the world.
History & Origins
Pancit Bihon Guisado is a Filipino vermicelli stir fry. Pancit is a very broad umbrella term referring to any Filipino noodle dish. The most famous one is Pancit Bihon, which is a stir fried noodle, but there are soup noodles as well. Pancit is a must-have at Filipino gatherings—any birthday, baptism, wedding, or potluck is bound to have pancit.
Bihon means noodles, and more specifically it usually refers to vermicelli made from rice or cornstarch. There are other noodles used such as egg noodles (Pancit Canton) or thin wheat noodles (Pancit Misua), and more.
You might also see this dish called Pancit Guisado. Now guisado is a bit of a confusing term because in Spain and Latin America, it means “stewed,” but in the Philippines, it means “sautéed.” So Pancit Bihon Guisado literally means stir fried vermicelli noodles, which is a pretty fitting name.
Noodles were first introduced to the Philippines by Hokkien Chinese immigrants, and the word pancit or pansit actually comes from a Chinese word. But the noodle dishes in the Philippines these days are quite different from what you’ll find in China, because they have been influenced by Spanish cuisine from the colonial period as well as the use of local ingredients, like calamansi limes, fish sauce, and Filipino longganisa (a type of sausage).
This Vegan Pancit is made with tofu and vegan “pork belly” instead of the traditional meats. But it’s still packed with all the other flavourful vegetables and seasonings and remains true to the original cooking style of pancit bihon!
What You’ll Need
A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in this Vegan Pancit recipe:
Vermicelli Noodles: In an Asian supermarket, you should be able to find noodles labelled bihon which is the right type for this recipe. They will usually say “rice sticks” or “cornstarch sticks” on the packaging. In a pinch, you could also use thin glass noodles which are made from mung bean or sweet potato starch. The texture will be slightly different but they still work great.
Note: Be sure to get the very thin noodles, because they don’t require soaking. Thick noodles will not be fully cooked.
Tofu: Many pancit bihon dishes contain meat, but it’s getting more common these days to find vegetarian versions made with tofu. Use a nice firm tofu for this stir fry so it doesn’t break up in the pan.
Tip: You can replace some or all of the tofu with homemade vegan okara sausage if you want to branch out a bit.
Vegan Pork Belly: This is a bit of a niche ingredient, so no worries if you can’t find it. Just sub with more tofu.
Vegetables: The classic vegetables in a Pancit Bihon Guisado are onions, carrots, celery, and snap peas. And don’t forget garlic!
Seasonings: Soy sauce, vegan fish sauce (check your local Viet store for this ingredient), black pepper, and calamansi lime are the main flavour boosts in this recipe. You can also use a regular key lime if you can’t find calamansi.
For a full list of ingredients and quantities, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: Sauté onions and vegan pork belly (optional) in oil until the onions are soft and starting to brown at the edges.
Step 2: Add garlic, carrots, celery, and snap peas. Stir fry for a few more minutes, until the vegetables are soft and glistening.
Step 3: Pour in water and ground black pepper.
Step 4: Add vermicelli noodles and tofu cubes.
Step 5: Press the noodles into the liquid and continue stirring and cooking until the water is absorbed and the noodles are soft. Season with soy sauce and vegan fish sauce.
Step 6: Squeeze in lime juice (or calamansi juice, even better!) to taste. Portion into bowls and serve.
Meal Prep & Storage Tips
Fridge: Vegan pancit bihon guisado can be refrigerated for up to five days.
Freezer: After testing it, this dish freezes surprisingly well. The only thing that gets a bit soggy are the snap peas. You can keep pancit bihon in the freezer (in an airtight container) for up to three months. Don’t defrost and refreeze though. That will make the vermicelli soft and mushy.
More Southeast Asian Recipes
Recipe Card
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Vegan Pancit Bihon
Ingredients
Switch between volume vs weight measurements:
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 4 oz vegan pork belly *optional, see Note 1
- ½ yellow onion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 Thai bird's eye chili peppers *optional, omit for a non-spicy version
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 1 cup snow peas or snap peas
- 1 rib celery, chopped plus some celery leaves for topping, if you have them
- 1 cup water or vegetable stock
- 4 oz bihon noodles aka vermicelli or rice stick noodles
- 4 oz firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into small cubes see Note 2
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce *optional, sub with vegan oyster sauce or more soy sauce
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 calamansi or key lime
Instructions
- Sauté 1/2 yellow onion and 4 oz vegan pork belly (optional) in 2 tbsp cooking oil until the onions are soft and starting to brown at the edges.
- Add the 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 Thai bird's eye chili peppers, 1 carrot, julienned, 1 cup snow peas or snap peas, and 1 rib celery, chopped and stir fry for a few more minutes, until the vegetables are soft and glistening.
- Pour in 1 cup water or vegetable stock and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper.
- Add 4 oz bihon noodles and 4 oz firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into small cubes.
- Press the noodles into the liquid and continue stirring and cooking until the water is absorbed and the noodles are soft. Season with 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce.
- Squeeze in the juice of 1 calamansi or key lime to taste. Portion into bowls and serve.
Notes
- Vegan Pork Belly: Can be left out, or subbed with five-spice tofu or marinated beancurd.
- Tofu: Can be subbed with 1/2 cup of soy curls (30g dried) or homemade okara sausage.
Cooking this for my family, so I left out the chili pepper, but this recipe won over the kids! I’ve been trying to introduce them to more cultural foods so that’s a win in my books. Hubby and I liked it too though we’d probably bump up the vegetables for next time.
So glad your family enjoyed it, Patricia!