First, gather all your ingredients and organize them into three groups: noodles (pancit), sauce ingredients (mga sangkap para sa sarsa), and toppings (mga pangtabon). This organization, known as mise en place (paghahanda ng mga sangkap), will make your cooking process smoother.

Start by peeling and deveining the shrimp (balatan at tanggalin ang ugat ng hipon). Set the peeled shrimp aside and keep all shells and heads for making the sauce. These will give your sauce a deep, rich flavor (malalim na lasa).

Pour 5 cups of water into a large pot and add the shrimp heads and shells. Bring to a gentle simmer at 180°F (82°C). Let this cook for 20 minutes to create a flavorful stock (sabaw ng hipon). Strain the liquid and set aside 5 cups of the shrimp stock.

While the stock simmers, prepare your other ingredients. Cut the pork belly into small, bite-sized pieces (tadtarin ang liempo). Cube the tofu into 1-inch squares (i-kuba ang tokwa). Mince the garlic finely (dikdikin ang bawang). Quarter the hard-boiled eggs (hatiin ang itlog sa apat).

Heat your cooking oil to 170°F (77°C) in a small pan. Add the annatto seeds (atsuete) and stir until the oil turns a deep orange color. Remove and discard the seeds, keeping the colored oil. This atsuete oil gives palabok its signature golden-orange color.

In a separate pan, heat oil to 350°F (175°C) and fry the diced pork belly until golden brown and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the pork and drain on paper towels. Save the rendered fat for added flavor in your sauce.

Using the same oil at 375°F (190°C), fry the tofu cubes until they turn golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. The tofu should be crispy outside but still soft inside (malutong sa labas, malambot sa loob).

Bring a pot of water to a gentle simmer at 180°F (82°C). Cook the peeled shrimp until they turn pink, about 2-3 minutes. Remove immediately to prevent overcooking (iwasang lutohin ng sobra). Keep the cooking liquid for extra flavor.

Now prepare the signature palabok sauce. Heat the annatto oil in a large pan to medium heat (350°F/175°C). Add the flour and cook while stirring constantly (ituloy-tuloy ang paghahalo). This creates a roux (binuro) that will thicken your sauce.

Gradually add the shrimp stock to the roux, whisking continuously to prevent lumps (iwasang magbuo-buo). Add the shrimp bouillon cubes, salt, and pepper. Simmer at low heat (180°F/82°C) until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. It should coat the back of a spoon but still be pourable (dapat kakapal-kapal pero umaagos pa rin).

Bring a large pot of water to a full boil (212°F/100°C). Add a pinch of salt. Cook the rice noodles until they are al dente (malambot pero may kagat), about 3-4 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse briefly with cold water to stop the cooking process. The noodles should be cooked but still firm to the bite.

To assemble, place the noodles on a serving platter (bandehado). Pour the hot sauce generously over the noodles. Top with the cooked shrimp, crispy pork belly, fried tofu, and quartered eggs. Sprinkle with the minced garlic, smoked fish flakes (tinapa), crushed pork cracklings (chicharon), and chopped green onions (sibuyas na mura).

Serve immediately while hot, with calamansi or lemon wedges on the side. Each diner can squeeze calamansi juice over their portion according to taste (tikman at timplahan ayon sa gusto).

If you need to store components, keep the sauce, noodles, and toppings separately. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months. The noodles will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator if stored dry. Toppings can be refrigerated for 2-3 days.

To reheat, warm the sauce over medium heat (160°F/71°C), adding a little water or stock if it's too thick. Heat the noodles separately, then combine with the hot sauce and add the toppings just before serving. This prevents the toppings from becoming soggy (nalalanta) and maintains their distinct textures (tekstura).

Remember, palabok is best enjoyed fresh and hot, when the noodles are perfectly cooked and the toppings are at their crispiest. The combination of textures - silky noodles, rich sauce, and crunchy toppings - creates the authentic palabok experience that Filipinos have loved for generations.