Pancit Bihon (Filipino Rice Noodles)

Intro: This dish was influenced by Chinese settlers in the Philippines. The vegetable ingredients mentioned in this post can be customized to whatever you want!

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. pack pancit bihon noodles (available in oriental stores)
  

• 1 cooked chicken breast, shredded

• 2 cups of chicken broth or 2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups of water

• 1/4 cabbage, sliced into strips

• 1 onion, pealed and sliced

• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced

• 1/3 cup scallions, cut into pieces

• 1 carrot, sliced into strips

• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil

• 3/4 cup diced celery

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Cooking Instructions:

• Soak the pancit bihon noodles to soften for 10 minutes

• Grease a large pan or wok with oil. Sauté garlic and onions.

• Add the chicken broth, the shredded chicken breast and all the vegetables until cooked.

• Mix in the pancit bihon noodles and add the soy sauce, cook for about 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft.

• Salt and pepper to taste.

Bananas Foster (alcohol-free, tropical version)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar - add more if you like
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup orange juice or mango nectar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon - add more if you like
1 banana, peeled, sliced - add more if you like
1 scoop vanilla ice cream - add more if you like

Over medium heat, melt butter, add brown sugar. When sugar is dissolved, add the orange juice or mango nectar. Mix them together, then add the cornstarch solution (prepare the cornstarch by dissolving it in the water beforehand). This will help thicken the syrup. You can now add the cinnamon. Then, keep stirring until the sauce thickens. You can add more heat if you want to speed up the thickening process. Before it thickens too much, add the sliced bananas. Turn the heat off when the bananas are cooked (you just want them soft not soggy).

Serve over vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Mango or orange juice in bananas foster is a good tropical substitute for dark rum or banana liqueur used in fancy restaurants.