Sinigang

My husband loves Adobo – I can’t stand it (neither can I stand paksiw… maybe it’s the vinegar… I dunno!) meanwhile I love KareKare and he doesn’t like it, says it’s too malagkit (what?!)!  Anyhoo, I think I only made these two dishes twice or thrice so as to keep the peace in our household. However, if there’s one dish that I can eat and still enjoy everyday it’s Sinigang. My hubs and I agree that it’s the best Filipino dish… wait the best dish in the world EVER!

So imagine how happy I was when Sinigang was announced as the theme for this month’s Kulinarya challenge. Any excuse (not that I need any) to cook Sinigang…

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and it’s colourful cuisine.  Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes.  By sharing these recipes we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino food as we do.

Sinigang is one of those dishes that I can easily make at home but I still order when I’m out (in the Philippines that is.. ) I love trying different types of Sinigang (hipon, panga ng tuna etc). Three of my favourite versions are Sentro’s Seafood Sinigang :

Again, Sentro’s Sinigang na Corned Beef (which I’ve recreated at home many times) – I don’t have a photo sorry!

And my new discovery Mamou’s Kurobuta Pork Sinigang, which I chose to pair with red rice :

My mouth is watering as I look into this photo… hmmmm… yum!

As with all things, my version of Sinigang has evolved – from throwing everything in a pot and waiting for it to boil to mixing and matching different cuts of meat. What I will share is how I currently cook Pork Sinigang.

First, the meat : I go to an Asian butcher, so they have all parts of the pig – I usually order the tail bone bit and get them to chop it up and a bit of pork belly, but recently pork belly prices have gone sky high so I’ve been trying other cuts and discovered that pork shoulder is also good. What I normally do is pressure cook the tail bone cuts and then tip the water off and wash off the scum from the meat.

To start I saute garlic, onion and tomatoes (I think this step is called sangkutsa).

I didn’t get it at first but it does make a difference to the taste. Next, I add the pork shoulder pieces until they’re well coated in the mixture and a bit brown, that’s when I add the tail bone pieces. I now add enough rice washing (as in the water that you use to rinse your rice) to cover the meat.

Then I add 1 and a half packet of Sinigang mix (yup you read that right! I like my Sinigang super sour). On a side note, how I wish I can make Sinigang with actual tamarinds, I can’t find any here in Melbourne though and when I go back to Manila, I honestly would rather eat my mom’s cooking or go out.. hehe! I also add 2 pieces of finger chili.

Bring to a boil.

While waiting for it to boil, I peel and chop some pieces of taro which I’ll add once the mixture starts gurgling.

 

I normally mash them a bit more once they’re soft to make my soup a bit thicker. Again, I wait for it to boil and then I add in the okra and snake beans. Lastly I add the kangkong and turn the stove off (I like my kangkong to still be a bit crunchy).

Serve with steaming hot rice and patis (with chili if you wish). I also like pairing it with garlic fried rice.. mmmmm getting hungry again.

So how do you cook your Sinigang?