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McCormick Palabok Noodle and Seasoning Mix Honest Review

I really love Mang Inasal’s palabok, but I’ve been trying to cut down on my fast food consumption so decided that I could probably whip up a really great tasting palabok at home too! Well, I found a recipe and realized…. damn, the palabok sauce is so difficult to make. LOL. Hence, I have resorted to purchasing McCormick’s ready-made palabok seasoning. Here’s my honest review on whether or not this one hits the spot.

My version of palabok

Verdict: Nah, Mang Inasal’s palabok was way better

 

What was included in McCormick’s Noodle and Seasoning Mix?

Well, as the name implies – it came with 150 g Palabok noodles and 50 g Palabok Seasoning Mix. It doesn’t look like a lot when you first open it up. I scoffed when I read that the pack’s meant to serve 4, because no way could this serve four?! So I ended up opening 2 packs… Big mistake. It really is meant to serve 4! So I ended up cooking for 8. Oops.

McCormick Palabok Noodle and Seasoning Mix

 

What do you need to prepare when cooking Palabok?

Well, aside from the noodles and the sauce, you’re still in charge of the toppings. I opted to add the following (good for 8!)

  • 200 g shrimp, shelled and boiled
  • 100g fried tofu, sliced
  • 5pcs egg, hard boiled and sliced
  • 3 stalks spring onion, chopped
  • 1 cup crushed chicharon
Prepared Palabok toppings: Shrimp, Tofu, Green onion, Hard boiled eggs

 

How do you cook Palabok with McCormick’s Noodle and Seasoning Mix?

  • Cook the palabok noodles by boiling the noodles for 3 minutes. Afterwards, drain the hot water
Cooked Palabok noodles
  • Dissolve the McCormick Palabok Seasoning Mix in 1 1/2 cup of water (per pack) then boil. I forgot to boil initially and was wondering why it was so watery!
Finally got the Palabok sauce to the right consistency
  • Prepare your toppings
    • Shell the shrimp, then boil. I cut the shrimp further in half to increase the amount of toppings
    • Crush the chicharon! I don’t know if you can purchase crushed chicharon, but I ended up buying chicharon and crushing it wiht a mortar and pestle #Manual
      • Boil the water. Once boiling, cook the eggs for ~8 minutes. Afterwards, drain the hot water and submerge the hard boiled eggs in cold water. This is to make it easier for you to peel the eggs later on.
      • Wash the spring onion stalks and get rid of the yellowish and “lanta” looking parts of the spring onion. Chop up
Manually crushed chicharon
  • Mix the noodles with the Palabok sauce, then sprinkle the toppings on top.
  • Bon Appetit!

 

Did the Palabok made from McCormick’s Noodle and Seasoning Mix taste good?

Meh, it was ok. I didn’t think you could taste the palabok flavor much. On top of that, I felt like I could still taste some seasoning mix clumped together (of course, this probably means I didn’t boil it well enough LOL). Oh well, probably not an experience I’ll be repeating anytime soon.

The Palabok toppings were the winner