Pancit Lug-Lug aka Pancit Palabok

Pancit Lug-Lug - made November 12, 2019 from Kawaling Pinoy

I ended up making this dish twice, not because I particularly loved it and had to make it again but because I didn't feel I made it right the first time. I didn't have atchuete powder the first time so I used anatto seeds. I thought they would melt in hot water but they didn't. They dissolved only very slightly, just enough to impart the slight color that represents the trademark color of pancit lug-lug or palabok.

Then I made a couple of other mistakes as well: I thought the sauce was too soupy so instead of using flour as a thickener, I went with cornstarch, making a slurry of a generous amount of cornstarch (probably at least 1/3 cup) and the existing sauce. But that eventually made it too thick. To compound my comedy of errors, I used the whole package of noodles and it turns out that was too much for the sauce that this recipe made.

Undeterred, I tried again. This time, my mom gave me a packet of atchuete powder to use plus I went easy on the cornstarch this time. Initially I thought I went the other way round in that I didn't have enough noodles and the sauce was still too soupy. But actually, once I took the pot off the burner and combined all the leftover noodles I had and let the sauce "set", it thickened up satisfactorily.

Flavor-wise, I thought this was a little bland. Which I don't mind but not sure how authentic a palabok this was. I'd probably increase the fish sauce slightly and would add a more generous amount of shrimp. But this did have ease of preparation going for it so there's that. Just do a better job than I did on getting that noodles to sauce ratio correct.

4 1/2 cups water
1/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lb ground pork
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon atchuete powder
1 cube shrimp or pork bouillon
1/4 cup flour
salt to taste
16 ounces thick cornstarch noodles
1 cup crushed pork rinds
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
toasted garlic bits
green onions, chopped
calamansi, cut into wedges

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Using a fine-mesh sieve, plunge shrimp into the hot water and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Slice lengthwise in halves. Reserve liquid.
2. In a pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened.
3. Add ground pork. Cook, breaking apart with the back of a wooden spoon, until lightly browned. Drain excess fat except for about 1 tablespoon.
4. Add fish sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add atchuete powder and stir until ground pork is evenly colored.
5. Add reserved liquid and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 6-10 minutes or until meat is tender and cooked through. Add bouillon and stir until dissolved.
6. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup water and flour. Stir until well blended and smooth with no lumps.
7. Add to the pot, whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Season with salt to taste.
8. Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions until tender but firm. Drain.
9. In a large bowl, combine cooked noodles, sauce and 1/2 cup of the crushed pork rings. Gently toss to evenly distribute. Garnish with green onions and sliced hard boiled eggs. Serve with calamansi.