Looking for a recipe to make on a cold day and seeking the comfort of a Filipino family? Sinigang is definitely a comfort food for many Filipinos growing up and it’s slowly introduced to friends when they come over for dinner or parties.
If you’ve never been to a Filipino party, I suggest you make good friends with a Filipino – they have the best parties. Ha! Parties full of food, family, loud laughter, and enough comfort to make even the coldest of hearts a bit warm.
The Philippines is known to have some of the kindest people in the world who open their home to anyone and everyone willing to come in – but beware, you must come hungry. If there’s one thing we take offense to, it’s when someone won’t try our food. Haha!
This dish is one of the many that my grandmother taught me how to make. Being in the US, it’s sometimes difficult to find the vegetables traditionally used with this dish but don’t be discouraged as there are plenty of alternates to make this dish your own!
First we’ll start by selecting our protein – my favorite is pork sinigang but this dish can also be made with beef, fish, or shrimp. Then our veggies, I love kangkong (water spinach) and gabi (taro) – it’s what my grandmother always made the pork sinigang with and it brings me a sense of comfort and warmth felt from my childhood. Both can be commonly found in Filipino or Chinese based supermarkets. Kangkong isn’t always in season so some common alternatives are mustard greens or spinach – both will give a slightly variant flavor but I assure you it will still be delicious.
Regardless of which protein or vegetables are used, the process stays the same; adjustments will just need to be made for time. We start by boiling our meat and removing the scum as it floats to the top – this gives a cleaner broth. Leave it as a low boil until fork tender.
Once tender, we’ll add some salt & pepper for flavor then put in our gabi (taro). Be careful to use the correct taro, gabi has a very different texture to its other root cousins (they’re not differentiated in English). Bring to a boil under medium heat and then add kangkong (or spinach) when soft.
Stir to get all the greens in the soup then cover and turn the heat off. Leave covered for 2 minutes before serving. This will allow the leafy greens to cook but not brown.
Serve with rice and a side of fish sauce for dipping! Happy Eating!
Pork Sinigang
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Pork cooking time will depend on cut chosen
- 1 Onion largely diced
- 2 Tomatoes largely diced
- 4 pcs Gabi (Taro)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 Tamarind Soup Base
- 1 bowl Water Spinach (Kangkong or Ong Choy) can use spinach as an alternate
Instructions
- Start by boiling the pork and removing the scum as it floats to the top. Water level should be just past the meat. Too much water will make the broth bland – if you find the level getting too low, just add more.
- Once all the scum has been removed, put in the onion, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer under medium/low heat for 30-45 minutes or when the meat is fork tender.
- When meat is tender, add gabi (taro) and bring to a boil until soft.
- Now it's time for the best part – put in half of the tamarind soup base packet, stir, then taste. Not enough tang? Add more!
- As for the final step, put in the water spinach. Stir, cover, and turn off heat. Let sit for 1-2 minutes before serving.
