Special Pancit Palabok - PinoyBites

Ingredients

• 1 454 g pack pancit Bihon or Palabok noodles* (see notes)
• 3 tablespoons Atsuete oil (recipe below)
• 3 cups shrimp broth (recipe below)
• 3 garlic cloves (finely minced)
• 3 cups chicken broth (I used Better than Bouillon organic chicken base)
• ½ cup cornstarch mixed with ½ cup water (thickener)
• Patis (fish sauce, to taste)
• Ground black pepper (to taste)
• 1 lb head-on shrimps (peeled & deveined (reserve heads and shells for the broth))
• 1 pack firm tofu (cut into small cubes and fried until crisp)
• 1 cup tinapa (smoked fish flakes)
• 1 cup chicharon (pork skin cracklings, crushed)
• 3 hard boiled eggs (sliced thinly)
• Fried chopped garlic (about 1 head of garlic)
• ½ cup green onions (thinly sliced)
• 1 lemon (sliced into wedges or use calamansi (calamondin), if available)
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons atsuete seeds
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
• Heads and shells from 1 lb shrimps (reserve shrimp meat for topping)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 ½ cups water