Pancit Luglug

Pancit luglug is I think a Kapampangan version of pancit palabok. A saucy noodle dish mixed with luglug sauce and topped with sliced pork and shrimp, garnished with crushed chicharon, kamias, spring onion and hard boiled eggs. Actually the word “luglug” is a Kapampangan word which means to “rinse” or “wash” the noodles in hot water until it is cooked which is the traditional way of cooking the noodles. Also, pork is the traditional topping for the pancit luglug and using shrimp and other seafood like squid or mussels might be just a variation and adaptation of cooking this dish.

Mastering the Art Cooking

Pancit luglug is a delicious noodle dish that originated from the Kapampangan region, often compared to pancit palabok. This saucy noodle dish is known for its flavorful sauce, topped with sliced pork, shrimp, and a variety of garnishes. Learn how to make this traditional Filipino dish with our step-by-step recipe.

Cooking the Pork Maskara

Start by blanching the pork mask twice to remove any impurities. In a pot, combine water, pork maskara, peppercorns, and salt. Boil the pork until it’s almost tender. Separate the pork rind and fat from the meat and cut them into cubes. Set aside the pork broth for later use.

Preparing Other Ingredients

• To make annatto oil, heat cooking oil with annatto seeds for a few minutes. Remove the seeds and soak them in warm water with a drop of lihia. Set aside.
• Fry garlic until crispy, then remove and drain. Leave the oil in the pan.
• Wash and drain the shrimp head and shell. Toast them in a pan, then pound them in a mortar and pestle. Boil the shrimp head and shell in water with a little salt. Cool and let it soak until needed.

Making the Sauce

In a wok over low heat, sauté the pork rind and fat until the fat is rendered. Add minced garlic and onion, sauté until soft. Add the meat and stir for a few minutes. Add vinegar and fish sauce. Simmer without stirring, then add some pork broth and simmer until tender. Set aside the cooked pork mask, leaving some sauce and bits in the pan.

Heat the pan used for cooking the pork topping and pour in the shrimp broth. Strain before pouring. Bring to a boil, then simmer. Turn off heat and set aside.

For the shrimp topping, in the same wok used for frying garlic, sauté minced garlic. Add patis, vinegar, pepper, and simmer. Add shrimps and cook until done. Set aside.

Cooking the Sauce

Heat a stock pot and add annatto oil. Sauté garlic until fragrant. Add chicken bouillon cubes and shrimp broth. Pour in additional pork broth. Add patis and bring to a boil. Simmer, then pour in rice flour mixture while stirring. Pour annatto water for color. Simmer until rice flour is cooked. Turn off heat and pour cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.

Assembling the Pancit

Boil bihon noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. On a serving plate, arrange bihon noodles and pour the sauce. Add pork and shrimp toppings, garnish with fried garlic, crushed pork chicharon, spring onions, kamias, bean sprouts, and boiled eggs.

Wrap-Up

Pancit luglug is a classic Filipino dish that’s perfect for any occasion. Its flavorful sauce and mix of toppings make it a favorite among many. Try this recipe at home and enjoy a taste of Filipino cuisine!

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5 from 1 vote

How to Cook Pancit Luglug

Pancit Luglug is a traditional Filipino noodle dish featuring saucy rice noodles topped with a flavorful medley of pork, shrimp, and a variety of garnishes.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Noodles

Cuisine: Filipino

Keyword: pancit luglug

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 347kcal

Author: Manny

Ingredients

• 1 kilo bihon noodles
• 1/2 cup annatto seeds
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 head garlic peeled and sliced thinly

Pork mask ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo pork mask
• 12 cups water
• 2 pcs laurel leaves
• 1 tsp. whole black pepper corn
• 1 tsp. coarse salt

Pork topping ingredients:

• cubed pork rind and fat from cooked pork mask
• cubed pork meat from the cooked pork mask
• 1/2 cup red onions or shallots minced
• 1/2 cloves garlic crushed
• 3 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• pork broth from boiled maskara
• a little annatto oil
• cooking oil

Shrimp topping ingredients:

• cooking oil from fried garlic
• 1/2 head garlic crushed
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
• 1/4 kilo shrimps peeled and deveined

Pancit luglug sauce ingredients:

• 2 cups shrimp broth
• annatto oil
• annatto water
• 1/2 head garlic peeled and crushed
• 1 pc chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 cup cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup water
• 10 cups pork broth
• 1 cup rice flour dissolved in 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Additional garnishing:

• Kamias or calamansi sliced
• spring onions chopped
• toge or bean sprouts blanched
• pork chicharon finely crushed
• hard boiled eggs sliced

Instructions

How to cook the pork maskara:

• Blanch the pork mask twice to remove the impurities. In a pot, put 12 cups water (or more), pork mask, peppercorns and salt. Boil the pork until almost tender. Separate the pork rind and fat from meat and cut into cubes. Set aside the pork broth for later use.

Other ingredients preparation:

• To make the annatto oil, heat the half cup of cooking oil with the annatto seeds for a few minutes. Remove the seeds from the pan and soak the seeds in 1 cup warm water with a drop of lihia. Set aside for later use.
• Fry the garlic until crispy. Remove the fried garlic and drain from the oil and set aside. Leave the oil in the pan or wok.
• Wash the shrimp head and shell and drain. Toast in a pan until for a few minutes then pound in a mortar and pestle. Boil 2 cups of water and put the shrimp head and shell with a little salt. Cool and let the shrimp head and shell soaked for a while until needed.

To make the pancit luglug sauce:

• In a medium size wok, in a low fire, saute the pork rind and fat. Saute until the fat is rendered then put the minced garlic and minced onion. Saute until the onions are soft. Then add the meat and stir for a few minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce.
• Simmer for a few minutes and do not stir. Add some pork broth and simmer until tender. Set aside the cooked pork mask but leave some sauce and the bits that sticks to the pan.
• Heat the pan used in cooking the pork topping and pour the shrimp broth. Strain the shrimp broth before pouring in the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer. Turn off heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile to make the shrimp topping, in the wok where you fry the garlic, put some minced garlic and saute. Add in the patis, vinegar, pepper and simmer for a few seconds then add in the shrimps. Stir and simmer until the shrimps are cooked. Set aside.
• To cook the pancit luglug sauce, heat a stock pot and put some annatto oil. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add in the chicken bouillon cubes and shrimp broth. Pour and additional pork broth about 7 cups. Stir add the patis and bring to a boil.
• Simmer for a few minutes then pour the rice flour mixture. Stir while pouring the rice flour to avoid curdling. Pour the annatto water while stirring to add more color to the sauce. Simmer while stirring until the rice flour is cooked. Turn off heat and pour the cornstarch slurry and stir constantly until the sauce is thick.

To assemble the Pancit luglug:

• Cook the bihon noodles by boiling it in water. You can also use the package directions as a guide. Drain the noodles and set aside.
• On a serving plate, put some of the bihon noodles and pour a desired amount of pancit luglug sauce. Put some pork toppings and shrimp toppings and arrange accordingly. Garnish with fried garlic, crushed pork chicharon, spring onions, kamias, bean sprouts and boiled eggs.

Notes

Cooking Tips:

Tip 1: Perfecting the Noodles

To ensure your bihon noodles are cooked just right, follow the package instructions carefully or boil them until they're al dente, ensuring they're not overcooked and mushy.

Tip 2: Flavorful Sauce

For a more flavorful sauce, take your time sautéing the pork rind and fat until they're nicely rendered, and allow the flavors to develop by simmering the sauce slowly.

Tip 3: Tantalizing Toppings

When preparing the shrimp topping, make sure to cook the shrimps just until they turn pink to avoid overcooking and becoming rubbery, and for an added crunch, crush the pork chicharon just before serving for a delightful texture contrast.