Classic Filipino Palabok
Classic Filipino palabok is a celebratory noodle dish built around a deeply savoury orange sauce. The sauce combines prawns pork stock and aromatics for a bold flavour that coats every strand.
Top with boiled eggs crispy garlic spring onions and crushed chicharrón for texture and contrast. It is ideal for family meals and sharing platters.
Ingredients
- Salt, to taste
- 4 Garlic cloves minced
- 5ml Paprika
- 1 Lemon cut into wedges
- 200g Prawns peeled and chopped
- 30ml Vegetable Oil
- 20g Cornflour mixed with water
- 200g Pork mince
- 20g Spring onions sliced
- 2 Eggs hard boiled and sliced
- 300g Rice noodles bihon
- 700ml Water or light stock
- 30ml Fish Sauce
- 40g Chicharrón crushed
- 1 Onion small finely chopped
- 5ml Annatto powder or annatto oil
- Black Pepper, to taste
Method
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- Soak rice noodles in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes until pliable then drain.
- Cook noodles briefly in boiling water for 2 minutes then drain and set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry half the garlic until crisp then lift out for garnish.
- In the same pan cook onion remaining garlic and pork mince until browned.
- Add chopped prawns and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in water fish sauce annatto and paprika then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in cornflour slurry and cook until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Arrange noodles on a platter then pour over the hot sauce.
- Top with egg slices spring onions crushed chicharrón and fried garlic then serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Keep the sauce slightly loose in the pan as it thickens further on the noodles.
Prepare toppings before cooking the sauce so you can serve immediately while hot.
Squeeze fresh lemon just before eating to lift the richness.