Ah, Pancit Palabok – that savory, golden dish that’s a staple at every Filipino gathering, big or small. Its rich flavors, combined with a class of textures from its various toppings, make it a beloved classic. But let’s face it, making Pancit Palabok from scratch can seem like a daunting task. Fear not! With Mama Sita’s helping hand, creating this festive dish is as easy as pie, or should we say, as easy as noodles.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup deboned tinapa flakes
- 1/2 cup pork
- 1 pouch Mama Sitas Palabok Mix dissolved in water (as per sachet instruction)
- 1 pack 200 gms Bihon Noodles (cooked according to packet instructions) (you can also use the rice sticks used for Pancit Malabon). i think I used Q Noodles.
- 1/4 cooked shrimps (optional)
- 2 eggs cut lengthwise (quartered)
- 1 pc tofu (sliced or mashed)
- pork cubes or msg (optional) I didn’t use them for this because I felt that the Palabok mix already have them)
- spring onions (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan and saute garlic, pork and cook until pork is rendering fat.
- Add 3/4 of Tinapa Flakes.
- Stir in Mama Sita Mixture.
- Simmer until sauce is thick (coats the back of a spoon). Set aside.
- Cook your pancit palabok.
- Assemble together by pouring sauce over your pancit, then garnishing with tinapa flakes, cooked shrimps, quartered egg, and spring onions. Sitsaron or pork cracklings optional!
- CHECK OUT THE DO IT YOURSELF TINAPA FLAKES BELOW!
There was a time I got addicted to Pancit Palabok. Seriously. In college, I would skip breakfast and lunch just so I could have dinner at Jolibee for its Pancit Palabok. I felt like it was the grown-up version of Spaghetti. It looks a bit like it, with the sauce on top and all, but miles and miles different. Besides, it has fish! Err, do not judge me, please. Lol.
What exactly is Pancit Palabok?
In Tagalog or Filipino, if someone is “mapalabok”, it means ostentatious or too much “sahog” or toppings. It is someone who embellishes their story with so much that they’re bordering on the unbelievable. So I’m not sure if historically, the word came from the food or it’s the other way around. It’s a bit pejorative to say that someone is mapalabok.
But contrary to the word, the Pancit Palabok is a tasty rice noodle dish and not over the top at all. It is a kind of pancit with an orange-colored sauce and topped with lots of ingredients like either pork or shrimps, boiled egg, squid slices, mussels, chicharon flakes (pork cracklings), tinapa (smoked fish) flakes, fried tofu, scallions, and fried garlic. Too much, maybe? Hence the word Palabok, lol. The orange sauce comes from cornstarch and anatto seeds.
Veggies are an option too. Aside from scallions though, I don’t particularly like them in my palabok. I also don’t see them a lot even in other people’s cooking but there are parts where they like their veggies, ha! You can add carrots, Baguio beans, and Baguio pechay. Just slice them thinly (julienne) and uniformly so their cooking time is shorter.
Kinds of Pancit Palabok
There are 2 kinds of Pancit Palabok, similar dishes that can be differentiated by the type of noodles it uses. One is the regular pancit palabok which has thin rice noodles. These thin, translucent noodles have very little flavor or substance on their own, which makes them the perfect absorber for seasoned sauces and broths. They’re also super affordable and last a long time in the pantry without going bad. You should be able to find these noodles in the international aisle of most grocery stores, but they’re always available here in local sari-sari stores. Another type of palabok is the Pancit Malabon or pancit luglug (Kapampangan version), which uses thick noodles (and accordingly, lesser sauce since this one comes with the sauce already mixed with the palabok noodles).
How to make Pancit Palabok
It was one of those recipes that I’m too afraid to try, imagining hours of labor just to simmer the palabok sauce. Then I discovered how to make the pancit palabok recipe using those little packets from Mama Sita and I was set for life. (PS, this is not a sponsored post, I just happened to love Mama Sita because of the convenience.) Later I discovered that going the whole nine yards in cooking this delicious Pinoy food is not that hard too, but I’m stuck with Mama Sita -because it’s easier. Haha!
The shrimp is another key ingredient that really makes the pancit palabok stand out from other pancit dishes. For the best flavor, I like using small shrimp that have been peeled and deveined. Thankfully our island waters are teeming with fresh shrimp all year long, so it’s never hard to get my hands on a batch. The tinapa or smoked fish is a required ingredient -for those not in the Philippines, I;m not sure where you can get this. Probably there’s a Filipino/Asian store that carries it. If there;s nothing, you can probably skip it but remember that it’ll not taste the same. You’ll also need some ground pork. I usually just use whatever cut of pork is on sale – shoulder, belly, etc. The meat just needs to be ground or diced finely. Come to think of it, the Jolibee Palabok doesnt have Tinapa and only pork so I guess it’ll be fine if you don;’t have tinapa.
So we have our protein, noodles, and sauce down. Let’s get cooking!
Here’s the Easy Pancit Palabok Recipe. Enjoy!
Special Pancit Palabok Recipe (Mama Sita)
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup deboned tinapa flakes
- 1/2 cup pork
- 1 pouch Mama Sitas Palabok Mix dissolved in water (as per sachet instruction)
- 1 pack 200 gms Bihon Noodles (cooked according to packet instructions) (you can also use the rice sticks used for Pancit Malabon). I think I used Q Noodles.
- 1/4 cooked shrimps (optional)
- 2 eggs cut lengthwise (quartered)
- pork cubes or msg (optional) I didn’t use them for this because I felt that the Palabok mix already have them)
- spring onions (for garnish)
Pancit Palabok Procedure:
- Heat oil in a pan and saute garlic, pork and cook until pork is rendering fat.
- Add 3/4 of Tinapa Flakes.
- Stir in Mama Sita Mixture.
- Simmer until sauce is thick (coats the back of a spoon). Set aside.
- Cook your pancit.
- Assemble together by pouring sauce over your pancit palabok, then garnishing with tinapa flakes, cooked shrimps, quartered egg, and spring onions.
PS. You can also top with sitsaron (pork skin cracklings). ;) Let me know how it turned for you!
Do it Yourself Tinapa Flakes for Palabok
Prepare 1/4 kilo smoked fish (Galunggong or Bangus). Flake the fish, removing the head, skin, and bones. Heat a pan until very hot, set on medium fire, then add the fish flakes. Mix until very dry and almost powdery.
PS, the bones and head, you can use for making fish broth for the palabok for added flavor!
Menu Idea:
Since this simple how-to-make Palabok at home recipe contains both pancit and proteins, it can actually be a full meal on its own. In Jolibee, they serve palabok with fried chicken. This can also be partnered with fish like Steamed Cream Dory Fish Fillet Recipe (Chinese Style) or pork like .Grilled Sinigang Pork Chops with Sinigang Mix Rub
