Pancit Palabok

About This Recipe

Pancit Palabok is the noodle dish of Filipino celebrations — a golden mound of thin rice noodles buried under a rich, sunset-coloured shrimp and pork sauce, crowned with crushed chicharon, hard-boiled eggs, and spring onions. The combination of textures and flavours — silky noodles, savoury sauce, crunchy pork crackling — makes it one of the most festive and spectacular dishes in Filipino cuisine.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 400 gthin rice noodles (bihon)
• 200 gsmall shrimps(shells reserved for stock)
• 150 gground pork
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tbspannatto powder(dissolved in 2 tbsp oil)
• 3 tbspfish sauce
• 500 mlshrimp stock(from boiling shrimp shells)
• 3 tbspcornstarch(dissolved in water)
• 3hard-boiled eggs(sliced)
• 80 gcrushed chicharon (pork crackling)
• 3 stalksspring onion(sliced)
• 2limes(for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make shrimp stock

   Boil shrimp shells in 700 ml water 15 min. Strain.

2. 2

   Make sauce

   Sauté garlic; add pork, cook through. Add annatto oil, fish sauce, and shrimp stock. Simmer 10 min. Thicken with cornstarch slurry. Add shrimps; cook 3 min.

3. 3

   Soak noodles

   Soak rice noodles in hot water 10 min until softened. Drain.

4. 4

   Plate

   Arrange noodles on a large platter. Pour sauce over generously.

5. 5

   Top

   Garnish with egg slices, chicharon, spring onion, and lime wedges.

Variations

• •

  Add tinapa (smoked fish) as an additional topping

• •

  Use oyster sauce for a richer sauce base

• •

  Top with fried garlic for extra crunch

Storage

Store sauce and noodles separately. Sauce keeps refrigerated up to 3 days. Assemble fresh — the noodles become soggy if dressed too early.

Frequently Asked Questions