[Recipe] Sotanghon Guisado

Sotanghon Guisado (stir-fried glass noodles)

I made a huge batch of sotanghon guisado the other day and it turned out better than I expected. I used chicken and pork as "pansahog" together with straw mushrooms, carrots, green beans (Baguio beans), and napa cabbage (which is locally called Chinese pechay). Since this dish also typically includes shrimps, I compensated by including some bottled river crab fat (taba ng talangka) to incorporate some seafood flavor. Sotanghon,  also known as glass noodles, can be soaked beforehand or placed directly in the broth to cook. The latter method will soak up more of the liquid but the flavor will be more infused in the noodles.

Ingredients:
200 grams of chicken breast, cut into about half inch cubes
200 grams of pork, cut into about half inch cubes
1 litter of pork or chicken stock (or alternatively, water and instant meat bouillon)
1 cup straw mushrooms, sliced in the middle lengthwise
1 head of Chinese pechay (napa cabbage), chopped
half a cup of sliced green beans
1 medium-sized carrot, peeled and cut into inch long sticks
300 grams Sotanghon (glass noodles)
1/4 cup toyo (salty soy sauce)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons taba ng talangka (bottled river crab fat)
3 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon patis (fish sauce)
Calamansi, cut in halves (as garnish)

Directions:

In a big bowl, soak the sotanghon in cold water, set aside.

In a large wok, saute onions and garlic in a little bit of oil until caramelized. Add in the mushrooms, chicken and pork to brown the meat. Season with the paprika, soy sauce, crab fat and fish sauce. Let it simmer for a while so that the meat absorbs the flavors. Pour in the pork or chicken stock and let it simmer until the meat is tender (roughly 20 minutes). 

Once the meat is tender, place the carrots, green bean and Chinese pechay. Add the sotanghon and let it simmer further until the carrots are half cooked (softer but still firm to the bite). Note that the liquid will be gradually soaked up by the noodles. Serve steaming hot and accompanied by calamansi on the side.

Yields 8 servings.