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How to Cook Pancit Sotanghon

Pancit sotanghon is a classic Filipino noodle dish made with delicate glass noodles, a flavorful broth, and a medley of ingredients, offering a light yet satisfying meal.
Prep Time12 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time42 minutes
Course: Noodle Dish
Cuisine: Filipino
Keyword: meatless pancit sotanghon, pancit sotanghon, sotanghon guisado
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 243kcal
Author: Manny

Ingredients

  • 500 grams sotanghon noodles vermicelli
  • 6 Tbsp. cooking oil
  • 1 head garlic peeled and crushed
  • 2 cups carrots peeled and julienned
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic minced
  • 1 cup red onions slice into thin wedges
  • 10 grams kasubha or safflower first addition
  • 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup patis fish sauce
  • 50 grams tengang daga soaked in hot water then chopped
  • 1 cup spring onions chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 10 grams kasubha or safflower second addition
  • 5 cups chicken broth or 5 cups water plus chicken bouillon
  • 1 Tbsp. cooking oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

How to cook Pancit Sotanghon:

  • Boil water in a pot and add a little salt. Blanch the carrots for about half a minute and remove the carrots from the boiling water and drain. Set aside.
  • Soak the sotanghon noodles in tap water for 5 minutes or until they are tender enough to cut with a pair of scissors. Cut the noodles and set aside.
  • Heat about 6 tablespoons of oil in a wok and saute 1 head of garlic until golden brown. Remove the garlic from the wok, drain excess oil and set aside. This will be used as garnishing when serving the sotanghon.
  • In the same wok and oil where you fried the garlic, saute a tablespoon of garlic and onions until fragrant. Then soak the 10 grams of kasubha in water using a sieve then drain. Add the kasubha in the wok and saute together with the garlic and onions.
  • Add in the 1 teaspoon ground pepper and the half a cup of patis. Let the patis boil before stirring. Then add the tengang daga in the wok and stir for a few seconds.
  • Then add the blanched carrots and continue stirring while cooking. Add also some spring onions on the mixture and stir for half a minute. Turn off heat and transfer the mixture in a bowl and set aside.
  • In the same wok with the patis still inside the wok, put another 10 grams of kasubha soaked in water. Turn on heat and let the liquid boil. Add in a tablespoon of cooking oil and 5 cups of chicken broth. Cover the wok and bring to a boil.
  • Uncover and add in the sotanghon noodles and stir. Continue stirring until the sotanghon noodles almost absorbed all the liquid. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
  • Put the sauteed vegetables back into the wok and toss until all the ingredients are well distributed with the noodles. Put the rest of the spring onions in the sotanghon mixture and continue tossing until done. Garnish with fried garlic when serving.

Notes

Cooking Tips:

Soak the Sotanghon Noodles Properly

Before cooking, soak the sotanghon noodles in tap water for about five minutes or until they become tender but not mushy. This helps prevent the noodles from absorbing too much liquid during cooking, which could make the dish overly soggy. Cutting the noodles into shorter lengths after soaking also makes them easier to toss and eat.

Don’t Skip the Garlic Garnish

Frying garlic until golden brown not only enhances the aroma of the dish but also adds a delightful crunch. Set aside some of the fried garlic as a garnish to give the pancit a finishing touch that balances texture and flavor. This step may seem simple, but it elevates the dish from ordinary to unforgettable.

Balance the Flavor with Patis

Patis, or fish sauce, is the key to achieving the savory depth that pancit is known for. Allow the patis to boil briefly before mixing it with the other ingredients to mellow its sharpness and integrate its flavor fully. Be mindful of additional salt as the broth and patis combined can already provide sufficient seasoning.