Bihun is fried rice vermicelli with meat and vegetables. It is very much a home cooked dish in Japan, not something you can get at restaurants. Although rice vermicelli is not originally part of Japanese cuisine nor used in much other than Bihun, this fried Bihun has become one of the ordinary dishes that people often eat, like Yakisoba.
Bihun, a Taiwanese word, is technically rice vermicelli itself and is widely used in many countries in south east Asia. Bihun is sold dried and needs to be rehydrated before use. It is very thin, looking a little like Japanese Somen, but its color is translucent, not completely white. The rice used for Bihun is not the same kind as our short sticky rice but a drier kind, and that is more suitable to make noodles. The drier textured noodles are easier to stir fry without breaking up. That said, it is way easier to cook the noodles in a non-stick frying pan without worries.
The vegetables used in Bihun are usually cabbage, carrot, and onion, the usual stuff. If you like, use others like broccoli and bok choy. Mushrooms also work very well with the dish. We used pork and shrimp here, but chicken, beef, even squid, go well. Try different combinations for variety.
Even though Bihun was considered an ethnic food in Japan, it has deeply penetrated in their food culture for a very long time. People don’t even know where it came from any more. Enjoy this true home cooking dish that is from Japan and not from Japan!
Bihun (fried rice vermicelli) Recipe
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Ingredients
- 3.5 oz dried rice vermicelli
- 1 medium brown onion thinly sliced
- 2 cups cabbage cut into 1″ squares
- 1/2 carrot cut into 2″ long match sticks
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 5 oz pork cut into thin strips
- 6 shrimp deveined and halved
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp salt
- white pepper
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Sake
- 1-2 tsp oyster sauce if available
Instructions
- Rehydrate dried vermicelli in hot water following the instructions on the package. Strain water. Cut vegetables, pork, and shrimp accordingly.
- In a frying pan, heat oil at medium heat. Start cooking pork, then add shrimp and cook until the color changes. Add all the vegetables except spinach, and cook until softened. Add noodles and stir fry for a minute. Then add water and the seasonings, and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally add spinach and cook for another minute.
Video
