Sotanghon Guisado, also known as Pancit Sotanghon, is a Filipino noodle dish made with glass noodles cooked with a mix of meats and vegetables. It's highly customizable, allowing you to keep it simple or make it as elaborate as you like.
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What is Sotanghon Guisado?
Sotanghon Guisado is a Filipino noodle dish made with sotanghon (glass noodles), cooked with meat, vegetables, and a savory sauce. These noodles are slippery and chewy, soaking up all the delicious flavors. Annatto is sometimes added to give the noodles a distinct, appetizing color.
Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Sotanghon: Also known as glass noodles or cellophane noodles, it is a type of transparent noodles made from mung bean starch. These thin and silky noodles are a staple in Asian cuisine, known for their ability to absorb the flavors of the dishes they're used in.
- Proteins: I'm using bola-bola (meatballs), chicken thighs, and scrambled eggs. You can also use slices of pork, beef strips, shrimp, or tofu. Mix and match as you like, depending on your taste or the ingredients you have. If you like shrimp, make a quick and flavorful stock using the heads and shells.
- Vegetables: I've included wood ear mushrooms (black fungus), shiitake mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, and celery. You can also try green beans, snap peas, cabbage, bok choy, or bell peppers. Customize with whatever fresh veggies you prefer or have available.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Soak the mushrooms
Place the shiitake and wood ear mushrooms in separate bowls. Cover with warm water and soak for about 20 minutes until tender. After soaking, rinse the wood ear mushrooms.
Drain both mushrooms and slice them into bite-sized pieces, removing any tough stems from the shiitake.
Step 2: Prepare the bola-bola
In a bowl, combine ground pork, garlic, onion, beaten egg, and cornstarch. Season with salt, pepper, and fish sauce to your taste. Mix until combined.
Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes while you prep the other ingredients; this step makes it easier to roll them into balls.
Form the mixture into small balls and deep-fry them in a saucepan over medium-high heat until they are browned and cooked through. Set aside.
Step 3: Make the scrambled eggs
Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Pour in the eggs and let them cook undisturbed until they begin to set around the edges. Tilt the pan as needed to spread the egg mixture out thinly across the surface.
Once the egg is mostly set, you can gently flip it over to cook the other side briefly. Transfer to a plate and slice it into thin strips. Set aside.
Step 4: Soak the sotanghon
Soak the noodles in warm water for about 15 minutes or as directed on the package, until soft but not fully cooked. Avoid over-soaking, as they'll continue to cook in the pan. Once ready, drain and set aside.
Step 5: Prepare the liquid mixture
In a bowl, mix the chicken base, annatto powder, fish sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce with 1 cup of hot water to dissolve the annatto. Mix well and set aside.
Prepare another 1 to 2 cups of hot water; you'll need more or less depending on the noodles you're using.
Step 6: Cook and shred chicken
Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. For quick and even cooking, flatten the pieces by slicing them open.
In a wok or pan, sear over medium-high heat until browned and fully cooked. Let them cool, then shred and set aside.
Step 7: Sauté aromatics and mushrooms
If needed, add a bit more oil and sauté garlic and onions until softened. Add the shiitake mushrooms and continue sautéing until nicely browned. Then, add the wood ear mushrooms and sauté them briefly with the rest.
Step 8: Add the vegetables
Add the carrots, snow peas, and celery, then stir-fry until just cooked but still crisp. Then, add the cabbage and keep tossing just until the cabbage slightly wilts. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
Step 9: Add the chicken
Add the shredded chicken and toss it together with the vegetables until thoroughly heated.
Step 10: Add the noodles and liquid
Add the sotanghon and the prepared liquid mixture. Turn up the heat to keep everything hot and cooking well after the noodles are added.
Step 11: Toss the noodles
Use two wooden spoons and toss everything together to evenly coat the noodles and distribute the ingredients. If it starts to look a bit dry, gradually pour in the extra hot water you prepared earlier. The amount you'll need will vary based on the type of noodles you're using, so keep adding until they're just right.
Season with ground pepper and tweak any other seasonings as needed. Turn off the heat once everything's perfect.
Serve your Sotanghon Guisado with bola bola, thinly sliced scrambled eggs, sliced scallions, and calamansi or lemon as desired.
Recipe FAQs
Use sotanghon, also known as glass or cellophane noodles, made from mung bean starch. They're clear and become slippery when cooked.
Pre-soaking sotanghon noodles in room temperature or warm water allows them to soften gradually and maintain their springy and chewy texture. These delicate noodles can become mushy if exposed to hot temperatures too quickly.
Soak the sotanghon in water until they're just soft. Don't over-soak as they'll cook further in the pan. Stir frequently while cooking to prevent sticking.
Variations of pancit
- Pancit Bihon: Also called Bihon Guisado, it's a stir-fried rice vermicelli noodle dish with a combination of meats and various vegetables.
- Pancit Canton: Also called Pancit Guisado, it's a stir-fried wheat noodle dish with a variety of vegetables and proteins.
- Pancit Malabon: Thick rice noodle dish coated in a flavorful orange shrimp sauce and topped with seafood, hard-boiled eggs, and crushed pork cracklings.
- Pancit Palabok: Thin rice noodles covered in a bright orange shrimp sauce and topped with a variety of toppings like shrimp, smoked fish flakes, and crushed chicharon. Pancit Luglug is a variation with thick cornstarch noodles.
- Pancit Lomi: A hearty soup with thick wheat or egg noodles, vegetables, and various proteins in a thick and savory broth with beaten eggs.
- Pancit Habhab: A street food favorite from Quezon, this miki noodle dish is served on a banana leaf and eaten without utensils, then seasoned with vinegar.
Other noodle and pasta recipes you may like
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📖 Recipe
Sotanghon Guisado Recipe
Equipment
- Wok or a large sauté pan
- Small saucepan (for the bola-bola)
- Skillet (for the scrambled eggs)
Ingredients
For the Bola-Bola:
- 8 ounces ground pork or chicken
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch sub: breadcrumbs
- salt, pepper, and fish sauce to taste
For the Stir Fry:
- 9 ounces sotanghon or glass noodles see note
- 2 teaspoons chicken base sub: bouillon
- 1 teaspoon annatto powder (optional for color)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (regular or dark)
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 chicken thighs sub: chicken breast; see note
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms rehrydrated and sliced
- ½ cup dried wood ear mushrooms (black fungus) soaked, rinsed, and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup snow peas (about 4 ounces) see note
- 1 medium carrot (about 4 ounces) julienned; see note
- 1 stalk celery thinly sliced; see note
- 3 cups shredded or sliced cabbage (about 10 ounces) see note
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Neutral oil
Garnishes
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 stalk scallion sliced
- Calamansi or lemon optional
Instructions
- Make the bola-bola: In a bowl, mix ground pork, garlic, onion, beaten egg, and cornstarch. Season with salt, pepper, and fish sauce. Chill for 15 minutes for easier handling, then form into small balls. Fry in a saucepan over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through. Set aside.
- Make the scrambled eggs: Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Pour in the eggs and let them cook undisturbed until they begin to set around the edges. Tilt the pan as needed to spread the egg mixture out thinly across the surface. Once the egg is mostly set, you can gently flip it over to cook the other side briefly. Transfer to a plate and slice it into thin strips. Set aside.
- Soak the sotanghon: Soak the noodles in warm water for about 10 minutes or as directed on the package, until soft but not fully cooked. Avoid over-soaking, as they'll continue to cook in the pan. Once ready, drain and set aside.
- Prepare the liquid mixture: In a bowl, mix the chicken base, annatto powder, fish sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce with 1 cup of hot water to dissolve the annatto. Mix well and set aside.Prepare another 1 to 2 cups of hot water; you'll need more or less depending on the noodles you're using.
- Cook and shred chicken: Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. For quick and even cooking, flatten the pieces by slicing them open. In a wok or pan, sear over medium-high heat until browned and fully cooked. Let them cool, then shred and set aside.
- Sauté aromatics and mushrooms: If necessary, add a bit more oil to the pan and sauté garlic and onions until softened. Add the shiitake mushrooms and continue sautéing until nicely browned. Then, add the wood ear mushrooms and sauté them briefly with the rest.
- Add the vegetables: Add the carrots, snow peas, and celery, then stir-fry until just cooked but still crisp. Then, add the cabbage and keep tossing just until the cabbage slightly wilts. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken: Add the shredded chicken and toss it together with the vegetables until thoroughly heated.
- Add the noodles and liquid: Add the sotanghon and prepared liquid mixture. Turn up the heat to keep everything hot and cooking well after the noodles are added.
- Toss the noodles: Use two wooden spoons and toss everything together to evenly coat the noodles and distribute the ingredients. If it starts to look a bit dry, gradually pour in the extra hot water you prepared earlier. The amount you'll need will vary based on the type of noodles you're using, so keep adding until they're just right. Season with ground pepper and tweak any other seasonings as needed. Turn off the heat once everything's perfect.
- Serve: Top your Sotanghon Guisado with bola bola, thinly sliced scrambled eggs, sliced scallions, and calamansi or lemon as desired.
Notes
- Sotanghon: Also known as glass noodles or cellophane noodles, it is a type of transparent noodles made from mung bean starch. These thin and silky noodles are a staple in Asian cuisine, known for their ability to absorb the flavors of the dishes they're used in.
- Proteins: I'm using bola-bola (meatballs), chicken thighs, and scrambled eggs. You can also use slices of pork, beef strips, shrimp, or tofu. Mix and match as you like, depending on your taste or the ingredients you have. If you like shrimp, make a quick stock from the heads and shells to add so much flavor to the dish.
- Vegetables: I've included black fungus (wood ear mushrooms), shiitake mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, and celery. You can also try green beans, snap peas, cabbage, bok choy, or bell peppers. Customize with whatever fresh veggies you prefer or have available.
Marie says
I love your Sotanghon recipe. Thank you! What brand do you use and where do you buy it?