Pancit Palabok

Pancit Palabok is a delicious Filipino noodle dish topped with shrimp gravy, shrimp, smoked fish flakes, pork cracklings, and eggs. Hearty and savory, it’s perfect as a light meal or anytime snack.

Pancit palabok is another example of the many noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. But unlike the stir-fried bihon guisado or the broth-filled sotanghon soup, which have Chinese influences, the former is said to be uniquely Filipino.

The dish has three parts. The rice noodles are first cooked in boiling water and then smothered with a flavorful, orange-hued shrimp sauce and a delectable mishmash of toppings before serving.

As you can see from the recipe below, pancit palabok can be a very elaborate process with a myriad of ingredients. You can make it as fancy as you like and load it up with all the toppings or make it a simple affair with two or three of your favorite mix-ins.

Topping choices

• Smoked fish flakes (tinapa)
• Crushed pork cracklings (chicharon)
• Crisp bacon or chopped lechon kawali
• Poached shrimp
• Fried garlic bits or crispy fried shallots
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Green onions
• Steamed squid, scallops, or mussels
• Fried tofu cubes
• Ground pork or diced pork belly

Shrimp gravy

The dish’s foundation is a luscious orange-hued sauce or gravy made of shrimp stock, annatto seeds, and cornstarch.

I suggest preparing the toppings first, as you will need the rendered fat from the bacon, the oil used in frying garlic, and the liquid used in cooking the shrimp to bring an extra depth of flavor to the sauce.

Noodles

You can use cornstarch or rice stick noodles, either thick or thin variety. Cook in a pot of boiling water just until al dente.

How to serve for a party

It is customary to pre-mix the noodles, sauce, and toppings before serving the Pancit palabok for a party, but although still flavorful, I find it a little less appetizing when dried out and barely warm.

The way I serve it for a crowd is I keep the shrimp gravy continuously heated in a crockpot. I set the various toppings individually in small serving containers and the cooked rice noodles on a large platter with a chafing dish filled with hot water alongside it on the buffet table.

The guests can then use a noodle strainer to dip the noodles briefly in hot water to reheat and pile on the shrimp sauce and toppings they like.

This method involves a bit more work, and the queue can get busy around the buffet table, but the guests appreciate the novelty of pulling together their own plate of palabok. Not only is the pancit fresh and hot, bonus points for being able to pick their own choice of toppings!

How to store

• For best results, store the noodles, sauce, and toppings in individual containers. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• The sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months. The pancit doesn’t freeze well and might turn mushy when frozen and thawed.

How to reheat leftovers

• Microwave– I find the most convenient method of reheating leftovers is in the microwave. Assemble the noodles, sauce, and toppings on a microwave-safe plate and warm up at 2 to 3-minute intervals until heated through.
• On the stovetop– quickly plunge cooked noodles into boiling water. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan, adding more water or stock as needed to loosen the consistency. Heat the toppings on a dry skillet, turning as needed until completely warmed through.