Basically you follow the instructions on the packet, dissolve the powder in water and cook in a saucepan until thickened. The other things you need are rice noodles (bihon, bee-hoon, the thin ones that come in larger (approx. 8×13) packages. Cook it like you would pasta where you boil water first in a large saucepan then drop the noodles in — they cook in about 3 or 4 minutes so make sure you don’t overcook them.

After that it’s just an assembly job:

Toss the cooked rice noodles (drained well of course) with the sauce. Top with

peeled cooked shrimp — I sometimes cook mine in the sauce for a few minutes
chopped green onions
smoked fish flakes — you’ll find this as “tinapa flakes” in the freezer section of Asian stores — just to be on the safe side, and because I think it helps the flavor I toast this in a dry skillet briefly before using as topping
sliced hard-boiled eggs
fried chopped garlic (fried just until they’re golden)
ground up pork cracklings (chicharon)

Season to taste with fish sauce and kalamansi / calamondin or lime or lemon. Finish off with a dash or two of freshly ground white pepper (or black pepper if you like).

I added chopped up smoked salmon to the sauce. I wish I could say I was just being innovative or sophisticated but the fact of the matter was that I ran out of the smoked fish flakes (the store, too), did not have any Filipino smoked fish in the freezer to shred, and so I reached out for the first smoked thing I found in the refrigerator.

Other things you can add to this would be pre-cooked/fried/grilled squid (marinated or not, or cooked adobo-style in vinegar and garlic), or deep-fried cubed tofu — use your imagination!

Post from: Blisstree

Pansit / Pancit Palabok

I have been reminded by a very nice individual that not everyone who comes to this blog can, wants to or will cook from scratch. Said person suggested that perhaps I should feature “mixes” and “instant food” sometimes. Okay.

Here, then is a packet of Mama Sita’s palabok, which Filipinos often give as “pasalubong” (gifts), or maybe that’s just my perception since I always seem to be receiving them from generous folks! They go into the pantry and every once in a while I use them. If my family didn’t suffer from allergies and if I weren’t such the information junkie that I am now, I’d probably keep a large box of instant stuff all the time. But when you read and read and worry about what you put into your loved ones’ mouths, it’s almost a given that you will do away with what I call “convenience cooking”.

That said, I’m quite happy to report that this particular “instant mix” seems to be all-natural. The coloring comes from annatto/achuete/achiote. No artificial food coloring here, and as far as I can tell, no preservatives either. It is rather high in sodium, but that’s to be expected because even palabok sauce made from scratch necessitates the use of salt and fish sauce. Tomorrow: one of the Philippines’ most popular noodle dishes, using this little packet right here.

Post from: Blisstree

Mama Sita’s Palabok