Pancit Malabon

Ingredients:

8 oz Thick Rice Noodles or Cornstarch Noodles
1 1/2 pound Shrimps, shelled and deveined, and cooked
1 1/2 pound Squid, head separated, body cleaned and sliced
3 tablespoons Achuete (Annato) Seeds
3-4 stalks Green Onions, sliced fine
6 cloves Garlic, minced and fried
3 tablespoons Cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
5 cups Water
2 tablespoons Fish Sauce or Patis
1/2 teaspoon Ground Pepper
3-4 Eggs, boiled, shelled and cut in wedges
1/4 cup Cooking Oil

Cooking Procedure:

1. Boil the noodles in a water for 2-3 minutes or until the noodles are soft but not soggy. Drain the noodles and set aside.
2. In a small pan, steep the achuete seeds on the heated oil to extract the color. Strain, and leave 1 tablespoon oil on the pan.
3. Stir-fry the shrimps and squid for 1-2 minutes, then add a teaspoon of fish sauce. Set aside.
4. Using a separate pan, boil the shrimp shells with the water for 3-4 minutes, strain and dispose the shells.
5. Thicken with the cornstarch mixture and add the remaining achuete oil.
6. Assemble on a plate in this order :

•Noodles
•Sauce
•Shrimp
•Squid
•Fried Garlic
•Boiled Egg
•Green Onion


Tips:

•Though not traditional, you can add scallops to this dish - they are mild in flavor and makes a nice addition to your seafood mix.
•Shrimps and squids (and scallops) cook real fast, about 2-3 minutes. Make sure you don't overcook as they can get rubbery and tough.
•Though this is a seafood noodle dish, it is not advisable to add any kind of fish and crabs as they could overpower the flavor of the sauce.
•You can add a shrimp broth bouillon for more shrimp flavor, but cut down on the fish Sauce if the bouillon is already salty.