Growing up in a multi ethnic family we always were trying new cuisines. The most often cooked in our household when I was younger were dishes from the Phillippines. Many were a bit daring for me, but one dish always was requested- Sinigang. I think of it as the Tom Yum Soups served in Thai restaurants. It is delicious and does something for the soul. Today, I still really can not pin point the twist my mother puts on Sinigang, all I know is it is tasty. Now as we have grown older my mother serves Sinigang upon request, and only during special occasions, such as the Holidays, and birthdays. From my home to yours- enjoy!
Sinigang Recipe
Estimated cooking and preparation time: 1 hour
Pork Sinigang Ingredients
- 3/4 kilo Pork, cut into chunks
- 3 tomatoes, sliced
- 2 onions, diced
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 100 grams Kangkong (river spinach)
- 100 grams String beans
- 2 pieces horse radishes, sliced
- 3 pieces gabi (taro), pealed
- 2 pieces sili pag sigang (green finger pepper)
- 200 grams sampalok (tamarind)
- 3 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)
- 1 liter of rice wash or waterSinigang Cooking Instructions
- Boil sampalok in water until the shell shows cracks. Let cool then peal off the shells and with a strainer, pour samplalok (including water) into a bowl. Gently massage the sampalok meat off the seeds, strain again.
- In a pot, sauté garlic and onion then add the tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add pork and fish sauce then add the rice wash. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes then add the gabi. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the pork is tender.
- Add the horse radish and simmer for 10 minutes then add the string beans, kangkong and sili (for spice-optional). Let boil for 2 minutes.
- Serve piping hot.
Cooking Tip
Instead of sampalok fruit (tamarind), you can substitute it with any commercial souring seasoning like Knorr sampalok seasoning or tamarind bouillon cubes for this pork sinigang recipe. Also serve with chicken instead of pork for a healthier dish, and serve it over white rice.
Sinigang is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savoury taste most often associated with tamarind (Filipino: sampalok). It is one of the more popular viands in Philippine cuisine, and is related to the Malaysian dish singgang. While present nationwide, sinigang is seen to be culturally Tagalog in origin, thus the versions found in the Visayas and Mindanao may differ in taste (mainly ginger is an additional ingredient). Fish sauce is a common condiment for the stew.