Pancit Palabok

Ingredients

• For the shrimp broth
• 500 g raw shrimp heads and shells, pounded in a mortar before simmering
• 1.5 litres water
• For the sauce
• 2 tbsp annatto seeds, bloomed in oil, then strained
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 litre shrimp broth, from above
• 3 tbsp cornstarch, slaked in cold water
• 2 tbsp patis (fish sauce), plus more at table
• For the noodles
• 400 g thin rice vermicelli, soaked then boiled al dente and drained
• For the garnish
• 200 g fresh shrimp, peeled, poached or steamed
• 100 g tinapa (smoked fish) flakes, bones removed
• 100 g chicharon (fried pork skin), crushed; added last
• 4 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced and toasted in oil until golden
• 3 green onions (spring onions), finely sliced
• 4 calamansi, halved; served at table

Method

1. 1
   Pound the raw shrimp heads and shells in a mortar until the shells are broken and the roe is released. Transfer to a pot with 1.5 litres of cold water and bring to a simmer. Maintain a gentle simmer for 20 minutes, skimming as needed. Strain, pressing the solids firmly to extract all liquid. The broth should be a deep amber-orange and smell pronouncedly of the sea.
2. 2
   Warm the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the annatto seeds and stir for 1–2 minutes until the oil runs a deep reddish-orange. Remove and discard the seeds. The oil should be saturated with colour before any liquid is added.
3. 3
   Pour the strained shrimp broth into the annatto oil and bring to a steady simmer. Season with patis. Add the slaked cornstarch in a slow stream, stirring constantly. Continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon heavily and flow slowly when the pan is tipped — it must pool on the noodles without immediately running off. This is where the dish lives or dies: a thin sauce will drain away from every noodle strand and flatten the entire preparation.
4. 4
   Cook the soaked rice vermicelli in boiling water until just al dente — tender but with a faint resistance at the centre. Drain immediately and do not rinse. The noodles will continue to absorb sauce on the plate.
5. 5
   Arrange the drained noodles in a wide, shallow serving dish or individual plates. Ladle the hot sauce over the noodles generously, ensuring each strand is blanketed. The surface should appear uniformly glossy and deeply orange, with no dry noodle visible.
6. 6
   Lay the garnishes in order: cooked shrimp, sliced hard-boiled egg, tinapa flakes, toasted garlic, and sliced green onion. Add the crushed chicharon last, immediately before the dish reaches the table, so it retains its crunch against the moist sauce.
7. 7
   Serve with calamansi halves and patis on the side. Each diner squeezes calamansi directly over their portion at the table; the acidity should cut the richness of the shrimp sauce cleanly on the palate.