Pancit Palabok

Pancit Palabok

A classic Filipino fiesta noodle dish: thin rice noodles under a glossy, savory shrimp-and-annatto sauce, loaded with ground pork, shrimp, chicharron, egg and spring onion.

Prep

30 min

Cook

45 min

Total

75 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (14 oz) dried thin rice noodles (palabok noodles or pancit luglug), if unavailable, use thin bihon rice noodles
• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) shrimp, in shell, about 20–24 pieces, heads and shells reserved for stock
• •1.2 L (5 cups) water, for shrimp stock
• •1 tbsp annatto seeds (atsuete), soaked in 60 ml / ¼ cup warm water for 15 minutes, then strained; or 1 tsp annatto powder
• •250 g (9 oz) ground pork
• •6 cloves garlic, 4 minced for sauce, 2 minced for pork
• •1 medium onion, finely chopped
• •60 ml (¼ cup) fish sauce (patis)
• •80 g (⅓ cup) all-purpose flour or cornstarch, slurry thickener; traditional recipes use flour toasted in oil
• •120 ml (½ cup) water, for slurry
• •1 tsp ground black pepper
• •100 g (3½ oz) chicharrón (pork cracklings), crushed
• •3 whole hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• •4 stalks spring onions, sliced
• •30 g (1 oz) smoked fish flakes (tinapa), optional but traditional; substitute fried dilis or omit
• •2 tbsp cooking oil
• •1 tbsp calamansi or lemon juice, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Make shrimp stock: peel shrimp, reserving shells and heads. In a pot, combine shells, heads and 1.2 L / 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, skim scum, simmer 20 minutes. Strain; you should have about 1 L / 4 cups stock. Set aside.
2. 2 Boil shrimp in salted water 2–3 minutes until pink and opaque (internal temperature 70°C / 160°F). Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside for topping.
3. 3 Hard-boil eggs: place eggs in cold water, bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Transfer to ice water, peel and slice.
4. 4 Soak annatto seeds in 60 ml / ¼ cup warm water for 15 minutes; press and strain to extract the red-orange liquid. Discard seeds.
5. 5 Cook noodles according to package directions until just tender but still chewy, usually 3–5 minutes. Drain, rinse briefly under warm water to prevent sticking, and divide among 4 plates.
6. 6 In a pan over medium heat, cook ground pork with 2 minced garlic cloves and half the onion until browned and no pink remains (pork must reach 71°C / 160°F), about 6–8 minutes. Season with 1 tbsp fish sauce. Set aside.
7. 7 In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté remaining onion and 4 minced garlic cloves until fragrant and translucent, about 2 minutes.
8. 8 Stir in flour (or cornstarch) and cook 1 minute to make a roux. Gradually whisk in shrimp stock until smooth.
9. 9 Add annatto water, remaining fish sauce (about 2 tbsp) and black pepper. Simmer, stirring, until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5–7 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning; it should be savory and briny.
10. 10 Assemble: ladle hot sauce generously over noodles. Top each plate with ground pork, 4–5 shrimp, crushed chicharrón, sliced egg, spring onions and smoked fish flakes if using.
11. 11 Serve immediately with calamansi or lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.