You might be surprised to know that eating noodles is a part of many celebratory events in Filipino and Filipino American culture–just like other Asian cultures. Growing up, I ate pancit palabok for birthdays, holidays, and especially on New Years as a way to wish for a long life.
Pancit’s background
Noodles were introduced to the Philippines by Chinese migrants and the word “pancit,” which refers to the actual noodles and the dishes themselves, comes from the Hokkien word “pian e sit” (meaning dish that is conveniently cooked). You might have even heard of pancit before, but did you know there are many variations? This means there are different types of pancit noodles from thick to thin, wheat to rice to mung bean noodles, in addition to the various dishes themselves. For instance, pancit canton is probably more closely related to chow mein because it uses wheat noodles or sotanghon guisado is made with mung bean noodles and topped with carrots and meats like chicken.
The rice noodles
For this recipe, I’m making pancit palabok, which uses bihon type of noodles or thin rice noodles. Bihon noodles are what differentiates this dish from other pancit because the noodles are made of rice instead of mung bean. You can find these types of noodles easily at a Filipino store or other Asian grocery stores, but make sure you choose the bag with rice noodles listed and not mung bean. Both of these noodles might be listed as glass noodles, so you have to read the ingredients list to verify. I prefer the Pamana brand rice noodles for pancit palabok. Prepping the noodles is super easy, they just need to be soaked into cold water for about 15-20 minutes before boiling for about two minutes and blanched into cold ice water. I like to also place them in a strainer to remove excess water in the noodles while I finish making my palabok sauce and assemble.
The sauce
The bihon noodles for pancit palabok are topped with a savory meat sauce mixed with annatto powder to get its famous marigold color. While annatto powder is one way to get this amazing color, I also use seafood stock in my sauce to amp up flavor and color. Traditionally some recipes call for shrimp stock or shrimp bouillon and water if you have those on hand, which work fine too. For this sauce, I use both shrimp and ground pork for an extra fatty flavor. Since I boil shrimp in seafood stock, I save some of the shrimp as a topping too.
Topping options
Pancit palabok often has a lot of different toppings, and for me, this is my favorite part! Typically during family parties, pancit palabok comes with toppings (unmixed so you get the full beauty of the dish), but it also comes with extra toppings to add on the side. Some traditional toppings include: shrimp, sliced boiled eggs, scallions, crushed chicharon, fried garlic, smoked fish flakes, and more. Because this dish has so many toppings, I would really recommend starting the recipe by prepping the toppings, so that by the time the noodles and sauce are done, you can plop the toppings and eat away!
Cooking tips
Make sure you buy noodles labeled “bihon” or “rice noodles” for pancit palabok. Bihon is different from other glass noodles that are made of mung beans. Cook your shrimp in the seafood stock to amplify the flavor. You should also save about a quarter of the shrimp to use for the topping (I love this extra portion of shrimp). While my rice noodles are soaking, I will also cut them in half so it’s easier to handle them while I’m boiling the noodles AND while I’m eating them. Start this dish by prepping your toppings FIRST. I would say this is probably the most time consuming if you choose to make things from scratch like fried garlic slices. By prepping them first, your noodles and sauce won’t get cold.
What is the difference between pancit malabon and palabok?
Pancit malabon uses thicker rice noodles than pancit palabok with bihon noodles. Sometimes the toppings for pancit malabon is also simplified and the sauce is already mixed into the malabon noodles for presentation. If you want other types of Filipino noodle dishes, you can also check out my Filipino spaghetti recipe too.
How long does pancit palabok last?
Pancit palabok typically lasts about five days in the fridge in an airtight container.
