Pancit Palabok

Pancit Palabok is a hearty and savory Filipino noodle dish that’s topped with shrimp, smoked fish, chicharron, and so much more!

Unlike Pancit Bihon, which is a stir-fried Filipino noodle variant, Pancit Palabok involves three separate parts that’s assembled towards the end: chewy rice noodles, a seafood-pork sauce, and various garnishes.

Palabok was one of those dishes I never dared to attempt. I mean, just seeing my dad spend half a day cooking this stuff was enough for me to know that making Palabok took a lot of prep work.

When you break the recipe down into its smaller components though, it isn’t actually so bad. The end result of this recipe should taste rich and savory, with a distinct smoky taste from the tinapa.

Bring this to your next Filipino party or holiday potluck -I’m sure all your guests and Filipino friends will love you for it!

What is Pancit Palabok?

Pancit Palabok is a very popular noodle dish amongst Filipinos. Lesser known to its other pancit variant, Pancit Bihon, this version of Filipino noodles features a bright orange seafood sauce and various toppings over chewy rice noodles.

You might have seen pancit palabok in Jollibee’s menu, or stumbled upon it at a Filipino family or friend’s potluck. One thing’s for certain: it’s 100% earned its place as a staple noodle dish in the Philippines.

My dad would almost always bring this dish to any get-togethers as a special meal. Watching him cook this as a child seemed so daunting since there were so many steps to making the dish!

In the end, it was all worth it, and bringing it to the potluck would always bring him praise as we all enjoyed his hard work to prepare it.

What is Palabok sauce?

What truly makes palabok delicious is in its sauce. Much of the flavor comes from a seafood stock, typically simmered and infused with shrimp and crab shells.

With the addition of aromatics, ground pork and shrimp, and a corn starch slurry, the sauce is then thickened into a rich, luscious sauce ready to be poured over the noodles.

A good palabok sauce is savory, heavy on the seafood flavor, and somewhat smoky. This would come from the key addition of tinapa, a Filipino smoked fish which gives the dish both its smokiness and umami flavor.

Ingredients

Pancit Palabok contains a myriad of ingredients that you might not have heard of or seen before, so here’s a couple of frequently asked-about ingredients:

Bihon Noodles

These are thin rice noodles, typically found in most Asian markets or in your local Filipino grocery. My family loves the “Super Q” brand, which you may notice has two variants. One variant is “Golden Bihon”, which is thinner and cooks quickly. The other variant is “Special Palabok, which is slightly thicker, chewier, and cooks a little longer.

Both work just fine. Choose the noodle that suits your personal preference or whatever’s available.

Tinapa

As mentioned earlier, tinapa is a Filipino smoked fish, typically made of bangus (milkfish) or mackerel. It adds a layer of umami, saltiness, and signature smoky taste to the palabok. Traditionally, whole smoked fish is used, which is then cooked and shredded to be incorporated into the dish.

For conveniency sake, you can also use pre-shredded tinapa flakes, which you can find in the frozen section of most Asian/Filipino groceries. It may not exactly be as fresh as the whole fish, but it makes the job incredibly easier.

Atsuete/Annatto

Atsuete is a popular seed used in the Philippines to give dishes a bright orange and red color. It also gives a slight earthy, peppery flavor. You may find atsuete packaged as either whole seeds or pre-ground in the form of a powder.

For this recipe, I opted to use the powder. If whole seeds are all you can find, simply let the seeds simmer in the hot seafood stock until it begins to release its color, then discard the seeds.

Instructions

Prepare the shrimp and stock

In a pot, bring the seafood stock to a boil. Once boiling, add in the peeled/deveined shrimp and let boil for 1-2 minutes, just until cooked, then strain and set aside.

Take about half of the boiled shrimp, and mince finely to be later incorporated into the sauce (the reserved half of the shrimp will be used as topping).

In the same pot, add in the leftover shrimp shells to the stock. Let simmer with a lid for 10 minutes to infuse, then discard the shells. Set aside the seafood stock for later.

Prepare the Palabok sauce

In a wok or large pan, add in the oil, and sauté the onions over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until softened. Add in the garlic, and continue to sauté until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

Add in the ground pork. Break up any large clumps and continue to cook until no longer pink.

Add in the minced shrimp from earlier, the tinapa flakes, fish sauce, annatto powder, black pepper, and sugar. Mix well until all the ingredients are evenly combined.

Pour in the reserved seafood stock and the cornstarch slurry. Mix well, and let the sauce simmer until thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust accordingly with more salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the noodles

Soak and boil your noodles according to packaged instructions.

Once softened, strain, and briefly rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and to maintain their chew. Set aside.

Assemble the Palabok

Add a serving of the palabok noodles onto your plate with a generous scoop of the palabok sauce on top. Garnish with the boiled eggs, tinapa flakes, chicharon, scallions, lemon wedges, and shrimp. Enjoy!

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do I serve this for a large gathering?

The easiest way to serve pancit palabok for a potluck or party is to simply mix the noodles and sauce together, garnishing with the toppings last. While still delicious, I do find that the sauce has a tendency to dry out very quickly when mixed along with the noodles, altering the ideal saucy texture of the palabok.

For that reason, I like to keep all of these separate (noodles, sauce, and toppings in their respective containers), allowing guests to “build” their own palabok platters. This not only preserves the ideal texture of the palabok, but it also allows guests to control how much toppings they want per serving.

How do I store leftovers?

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

To reheat, you can microwave the palabok for about 1-2 minutes until warmed-through, or over a stovetop with a splash of water or stock to achieve optimal sauce texture.

Why is my Palabok pale?

If your sauce ends up being too pale (i.e., not bright red/orange), it may be the result of either too little annatto powder or too much liquid. To fix, simply dissolve a small amount of annatto powder in a bit of warm water. Mix well to break up any large chunks, and pour this into your palabok sauce.

The amount of annatto you use will ultimately depend on how intense you want to color your sauce. I’d recommend starting off with about 1/2 tsp and working your way up.

Can I replace the ground pork and shrimp?

You definitely can! To make this recipe more vegetarian-friendly, you may substitute the ground/minced meats with fried mushrooms (e.g., cremini, shiitake) or even crispy fried tofu bits.

What can I substitute tinapa flakes with?

If you don’t have access to the pre-shredded tinapa flakes (as mentioned in the ingredient notes above), any shredded smoked fish or even a couple drops of liquid smoke to the sauce may be used as an alternative.

While these methods wouldn’t exactly be authentic, I think your palabok would benefit from these substitutions either way, since one of the key flavor profiles of Palabok really comes from the smokiness of the fish.

If you’re a fan of delicious noodle recipes, then you might love these:

• Filipino-Style Spaghetti
• Yaki Udon
• Khao Soi
• Jajangmyeon