Chef Leah Cohen shares pancit bihon and lumpia recipes
To kick off Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, chef Leah Cohen is bringing flavors from her Filipino heritage into the spotlight.
The chef, restaurateur and TV personality, who rose to national fame on Bravo's “Top Chef” and is the owner of New York City's Pig & Khao, joined “Good Morning America” on Friday to share simple, delicious Filipino dishes that are perfect for home cooks looking to explore Asian cuisine.
Cohen demonstrated how to make pancit bihon and lumpia, two classic recipes that are as approachable as they are flavorful.
Scroll down for the full recipes.
Pancit bihon
Servings: 4
Ingredients
3 Tbs canola oil or chicken fat
1/2 med onion
3 cloves minced garlic
½ cup Julienne carrot
½ cup sugar snaps
1 cup diced cabbage
1 cup chicken stock
1 ½ cup shredded chicken
8 ounces dried pancit bihon (soak in warm water)
¼ cup soy sauce (more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Calamansi, lemon or lime to taste
Directions
Braise the chicken
In a pot, braise the chicken in water until fork-tender.
Skim the stock periodically to remove impurities.
Once cooked, remove the chicken, let it cool slightly, and shred it.
Reserve the chicken stock for later use.
Prep the vegetables
Thinly slice (julienne) the carrots.
Mince the garlic.
Dice the cabbage into large chunks.
Blanch the sugar snap peas and set aside.
Chop the onions.
Sauté the aromatics & vegetables
In a large sauté pan or wok, heat oil over medium heat.
Add the onions and garlic, and cook until slightly softened.
Add the cabbage and carrots, and cook until just tender.
Prepare the noodles
Soak pancit bihon (rice noodles) in warm water until pliable (about 10–15 minutes), then drain.
Add the soaked noodles to the vegetable mixture and toss to combine.
Build the dish
Pour in reserved chicken stock gradually to loosen the noodles and help them absorb flavor.Season with soy sauce to taste.
Add shredded chicken, sugar snap peas, salt, and black pepper.
Toss everything together until well combined and heated through.
Finish & serve
If available, squeeze fresh calamansi juice over the top just before serving.
If not, a squeeze of lemon or lime will work as a substitute.
Tips from Cohen
You need to soften the dried rice -- Using them by soaking in warm water for 10–15 minutes until pliable. No need to boil -- boiling can make them mushy when stir-fried.
Prep everything before cooking -- Pancit comes together fast, so have your veggies, chicken, and sauce ready to go. It’s a stir-fry style dish, so mise en place is key.
Shortcut with rotisserie or roasted chicken -- No need to cook chicken from scratch. I like to use oven-roasted or store-bought rotisserie chicken -- just shred and add it in at the end so it stays juicy and flavorful.
Pack in the veggies -- kids won’t notice. This dish is a great way to get your kids to eat vegetables. I load it up with thinly sliced carrots, cabbage, green beans and more. The noodles soak up the flavor and texture, and honestly -- my kids don’t even notice the veggies are in there.
Lumpia
“In the Philippines, we have two kinds of spring rolls or, as we call them, lumpia-fresh and fried,” Cohen said. “The fresh version has an almost crepe-like wrapper. While those are delicious, it's the fried version, Lumpia Shanghai, that always puts a smile on my face. “
She continued, “My parents say that's been true since I was a toddler. I can't wait to introduce my son to these delicious snacks as well, and given that they're a staple at every Filipino party, holiday, and birthday. I don't think that will take long. This roll can be filled with whatever you like: beef, pork or vegetables. The combination in this recipe is my favorite.”
Ingredients
4 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
½ cup water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, drained again, and cut into small dice
¼ cup finely diced carrots
½ small Spanish onion, finely diced 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
¾ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Thai chili flakes
1 medium scallion, thinly sliced
15 spring roll wrappers (I prefer Wei-Chan), cut in half crosswise on the diagonal
1 large egg whisked with
1 tablespoon water
1 quart peanut or vegetable oil
1½ cups store-bought sweet chili sauce
Directions
1. Put the beef and pork in a large bowl and gently mix to combine. Add the garlic, ginger, water chestnuts, carrot, onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and scallion and mix until combined.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Take half of a wrapper and place it on your work surface so that a point is facing you. Place about 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling on the wrapper and spread it out to the edges. Turn up the bottom corner and roll upward. Fold in the left and right corners, making sure the filling is nicely packed, with no air pockets. Continue rolling. Dip your finger in the egg wash, pat it on the remaining corner, and finish rolling the lumpia, sealing the edge. The lumpia should be about ½ inch in diameter.
3. Put the lumpia on the baking sheet. The lumpia can be made to this point and refrigerated, covered with a damp towel, for up to 8 hours or frozen in an airtight container for 2 to 3 weeks.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or high-sided sauté pan over medium heat until it reaches 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Line another baking sheet with paper towels. Fry the lumpia in batches of four to six, until golden brown and crispy and the meat is cooked through, for a total of 4 minutes for fresh lumpia and 6 minutes for frozen.
5. Remove with a slotted spoon to the prepared baking sheet. Serve with the sweet chili sauce on the side.
**I find that it helps to separate the wrappers in advance; cover them with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out.
Tips from Cohen
Use a fine meat mixture -- Finely mince veggies and use ground pork (or a pork-beef mix). Avoid excess liquid—wet filling leads to soggy lumpia.
Don’t overfill the wrapper -- A heaping tablespoon of filling is enough. Overfilling causes tearing and uneven cooking.
Roll tight — but leave the ends open -- I like to roll lumpia with the ends open. It lets steam escape during frying, so they turn out extra crispy. Sealing both ends traps heat and moisture, softening the wrapper.
Seal with a slurry or egg wash -- Use a cornstarch-water paste or beaten egg to seal the edge and keep your roll intact.
Make large batches and freeze -- Lumpia freezes beautifully! Lay them flat on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Fry straight from frozen—no need to thaw—just adjust the cooking time slightly.
Taste-test the filling first -- Cook a spoonful of the raw mix before rolling everything to check seasoning. Adjust as needed.
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