Chicken Sotanghon Guisado (Vermicelli Noodles)

Posted on Jul 29, 2009

I was craving for some Pancit last night but I didn’t want to tag my two boys as they were enjoying watching some Pixar short films over on youtube.com. So, I took off… not to the nearest Chinese resto, but to the kitchen and decided to make a wonderful hot evening dinner that my family practically inhaled. I used my fave Long Kow Vermicelli which is available in local grocery stores. This goodie was introduced to me by my friend, Tina, who also shares the same passion with me – eating. I didn’t go into any experiment because I wanted to do the all-time favorite recipe, the quick and easy Chicken Sotanghon Guisado. The long noodles I used are also known as Dried Rice Vermicelli which is a kind of the Asian, rice-based noodle variety comparable with angel hair pasta. It is transparent and sold in long and wound skein. Most of Chinese noodles, including this, must be soaked in hot or lukewarm water before cooking to soften and uncoil the threads.

If we will dig into the origins of noodles, it will be a very long story particularly a very long history in Asia. Most of the noodle recipes now took a big leap from their nationalist origins. So they are not found only around Asia but across the world. Asian stir-fries and noodle dishes cook fast. Make sure you have all your ingredients prepped in advance.

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 kilo chicken breast, deboned sliced
1 head garlic, crushed
1 bulb onion, minced
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. sesame oil
500 gms. Vermicelli Noodles
1 tsp. ground black pepper or more to taste
1 small cabbage, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

Place the vermicelli in a large bowl and cover them with very hot water, the hottest your tap can produce. Set aside to soften for 10 minutes, then drain. Set aside.

Heat a large nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Swirl in the vegetable oil, then add garlic, onion and chicken. Stir-fry just until the chicken turns white, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the water, soy sauce, sugar, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer until chicken is cooked.

Add the noodles. Raise the heat to high and cook, tossing constantly, until the noodles absorb
much of the sauce and what remains is a glaze, about 3 minutes.

Add the carrots and cabbage. Cook, stirring gently but constantly, until heated through, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, add sesame oil and toss gently.

Serve.