Chicken Pancit Bihon

📝 Ingredients

• 250 g dried rice vermicelli (bihon type)
• 500 g chicken breast
• 3 tbsp soy sauce (1 for the chicken, 2 for the stock)
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 chicken stock cube + 500 ml hot water
• ¼ white cabbage (about 300 g)
• 2 carrots (about 200 g)
• 2 celery sticks (about 100 g)
• 1 onion (about 100 g) + 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 spring onions
• 2 limes
• Black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Wok or large sauté pan
• Large mixing bowl
• Colander
• Kitchen scissors
• Tongs or two spatulas
• Chopping board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Soak the rice vermicelli in a large bowl of lukewarm water for 10 minutes, until pliable but still firm. Drain and snip them 2 or 3 times with scissors so they're easier to toss in the wok.
2. Cut the chicken into thin strips and mix with 1 tbsp soy sauce. Slice the onion, chop the garlic, cut the carrots into thin matchsticks, the celery into thin slices and the cabbage into 1 cm strips. Dissolve the stock cube in 500 ml hot water.
3. Heat the oil in the wok over a high heat. Fry the onion and garlic for 1 minute, stirring, without letting them brown, then add the chicken and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes until golden and cooked through.
4. Add the carrots and celery and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then the cabbage for 2 minutes more: the vegetables should stay crunchy. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a dish and keep the wok on the heat.
5. Pour the stock, the remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce and the oyster sauce into the wok, season with pepper and bring to the boil. Add the drained vermicelli and toss constantly with tongs or two spatulas over a medium-high heat.
6. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until the noodles have absorbed almost all the liquid and are tender. If they stick before they're cooked, add a little hot water; if there's too much liquid left, cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer.
7. Return the chicken and vegetables to the wok and toss for 1 minute to heat everything through. Taste and add pepper if needed. Scatter over sliced spring onions and serve with the limes cut into wedges, for squeezing over at the table.