Photo: Joy D. Ganaden · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sinigang (Sour Soup)
Pork simmered with radish, tomato, and vegetables in a broth soured with tamarind — the Philippines' beloved sour soup. Bright, clean, and tangy, it's the comforting bowl that makes rice disappear in Filipino homes.
Ingredients
- Pork · belly or ribs, cut up600 g
- Radish · or taro0.5
- Tomatoes · quartered2
- Onion1
- Green chilies · finger chili/jalapeno3
- Water spinach · kangkong, or spinach2 handfuls
- Eggplant · optional1
- Okra · optional6
- Long beans · optional100 g
- Broth
- Water8 cups
- Tamarind · paste, or 1 pack sinigang mix3 tbsp
- Fish sauce · patis3 tbsp
- Salt & pepper · to taste
Steps
- ⏲ 40 min
Put the pork in a pot with 8 cups water, bring to a boil, skim the foam, and simmer 40 minutes until tender.
- ⏲ 5 min
Add the onion and tomatoes and simmer until they break down.
- ⏲ 8 min
Add the radish (or taro) and cook until tender.
- ⏲ 2 min
Stir in the tamarind (or sinigang mix) and fish sauce to sour and season the broth.
- ⏲ 5 min
Add the eggplant, long beans, okra, and green chilies and cook until just tender.
- ⏲ 1 min
Finally add the water spinach (or spinach) and let it wilt, then turn off the heat.
Serve hot with rice, with extra fish sauce on the side.
Tips & Variations
Variations
- Sinigang na hipon: Use shrimp instead of pork for a lighter soup.
- Fish sinigang: Make it with white fish like milkfish or bass.
- Beef sinigang: Use beef short ribs for a richer broth.
- Souring agents: Swap tamarind for green mango, calamansi, or tomato.
Tips
- Skim the foam while simmering the pork for a clear, clean broth.
- Adjust the sourness with the amount of tamarind — sinigang mix makes it easy.
- Add vegetables firmest first so everything finishes tender together.
- Add leafy greens last to keep their color and crunch.
The basics behind this dish
- Stocks and Broths: Clarity, Time, and Why You Do Not Salt ThemWhat separates a clear stock from a cloudy one is temperature, not ingredients. Why you start in cold water, how long each ingredient wants, and why salt comes later.
- Salt: When You Add It Matters More Than How MuchThe same amount of salt either draws water out or seasons all the way through, depending on when it goes in. Osmosis, seasoning in layers, and why salt types are not interchangeable by volume.
- Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.
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