No matter how often you eat at Manam, their Crispy Pancit Palabok will always be a sight to behold. It's a festive sight—a mountain of crispy noodles slowly collapsing under lava-like orange shrimp sauce—that's as celebratory as a candle-lit cake.
This recipe delivers both the visual and gustatory satisfaction of Manam's popular palabok. The sauce packs a strong shrimp-y flavor, but the mix of noodles, seafood, and chicharon balances it out. Use spicy chicharon for added heat!
Ingredients
Palabok Sauce
3 tbsp neutral oil
1 tbsp atsuete (annatto) powder
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups pork broth
2 cups shrimp broth
½ tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp spring onion, chopped
½ cup chicharon, crushed
salt and pepper, to taste
Crispy Pancit
2 cups dried vermicelli noodles
neutral oil, for frying
Seafood
1 tbsp neutral oil
3 medium-sized squid, cut into rings
6 medium shrimp, tail on
salt and pepper, to taste
Toppings
½ cup chicharon, slightly crushed
2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
4 pcs calamansi, halved
2 tbsp spring onions, finely chopped
Make the palabok sauce: Add oil and annatto powder to a pot over medium heat. Once the oil is colored, add flour. Stir constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Cook mixture for 3–5 minutes, then add pork and shrimp broth while stirring. Let sauce cook for about 8 minutes. Once thickened, add fish sauce and spring onions. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in crushed chicharon. Set aside.
Cook seafood: Heat oil in a separate pan over medium heat. Add shrimp and squid. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Fry noodles: Heat frying oil in a large pot over high heat. Fry rice noodles, working in batches to avoid overcrowding, until puffed and crispy, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
Assemble palabok: Pile crispy noodles at the center of a large bowl. Arrange seafood, chicharon, egg, and calamansi around the noodles. Garnish the top with spring onions. Reheat the sauce until extremely hot, then serve on the side. You know what to do!
