Annatto-Chicken Stock:

In a medium-sized bowl, add 1 cup of annatto seeds and 3 cups of chicken stock. Mix it around, cover with a lid (or plastic wrap) and set this aside in the fridge and let it soak at room temperature for 2 hours minimum, or you can leave it in the fridge overnight.

Toppings:

Take a small saucepan and place 6 eggs into it. Add in cool water till the water goes about 1 inch above the eggs. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Let the eggs sit for 12 minutes. Then transfer the eggs to a large bowl of ice water, and let them cool for 5 minutes. Peel the eggs, and slice them crosswise into rounds. Set these aside for now.

Crush chicharron so that you have 1 cup of chicharron crumbles. Prepare 1 bunch (7 to 8 stalks) of scallions by chopping them into thin slices. Take 2 lemons and cut them half.

In a large skillet, add in 3 tbsp of vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add in 1 bulb of garlic that's been minced and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic bits are golden and crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove the big chunks of toasted garlic and drain on paper towels. Keep the remaining garlic oil in the skillet and set aside for now (it's okay if small bits of garlic remain in the oil).

Noodles:

Take 8 ounces of rice vermicelli noodles, and prepare per packet instructions. With our noodles, we soak the noodles in warm water for 15 minutes. Fill a large pot halfway with water, let it come to a boil, transfer the soaked noodles into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain the boiling water out, briefly rinse the noodles with cold water, and transfer the cooked noodles to your serving dish or plate.


Palabok Sauce:

Take the same large skillet with the remaining garlic oil and heat over medium-high heat.

When the garlic oil is hot, add in 1 yellow onion, minced, and 4 stalks of celery, minced. Sauté for about 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the celery has softened.

Add in 1 lb. of ground pork, 3 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of table salt, and 1 tsp of ground black pepper. Continue to sauté until the pork is well browned, another 10 minutes. Break the pieces of pork apart into smaller bits as you sauté them.

Drain the annatto water (that had been previously soaking) into a small bowl and discard the annatto seeds. Add 2 tbsp of cornstarch into the annatto water, and whisk the cornstarch in till it's dissolved and there are no more lumps.

Add this annatto/cornstarch chicken stock into the pork, mix till everything is well combined, let it come to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium-low. Continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency, another 15 minutes.

Assembling the Dish:

Spoon the warm palabok sauce over the cooked noodles. Squeeze the 2 lemons over the entire surface. Then toss the noodles so the noodles are well moistened and flavored with the palabok sauce.

Sprinkle the fried garlic over the entire surface. Then top with the sliced scallions. Arrange rows of the hard-boiled eggs that were sliced into rounds. Then add the crumbled chicharron. Finish with additional freshly ground black pepper.

When you have your individual serving, toss the noodles in the toppings and squeeze additional lemon juice on top to taste. Enjoy!