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