Sinigang na Baboy

About This Recipe

Sinigang is the sour soup that Filipinos around the world crave when homesickness strikes, and Sinigang na Baboy — made with pork — is the most popular variation. The defining characteristic is its pronounced sourness, traditionally achieved by simmering unripe tamarind, but also made with green mango, calamansi, santol fruit, or bilimbi depending on what is seasonal and regional. The broth is light but deeply flavoured, and the vegetables — water spinach, radish, eggplant, string beans, tomatoes and onion — give it colour and variety. Unlike heavy braised soups, Sinigang is bright and refreshing, a dish that somehow feels light despite the richness of the pork. It is served family-style with rice and a dipping sauce of fermented shrimp paste (bagoong).

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 kgpork spare ribs or belly(cut into pieces)
• 2 litreswater
• 200 gfresh tamarind pods(or 40g tamarind paste)
• 2 mediumtomatoes(quartered)
• 1 largeonion(quartered)
• 1 mediumdaikon radish(peeled and sliced)
• 1 mediumeggplant(cut into chunks)
• 200 gstring beans (sitaw)(cut into 5cm lengths)
• 200 gwater spinach (kangkong) or regular spinach
• 2long green chillies (siling haba)(whole)
• 2 tablespoonsfish sauce (patis)(to taste)
• 1 teaspoonsalt(to taste)

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil the pork

   Place the pork in a large pot with 2 litres of cold water. Bring to a boil and skim off any grey foam that rises to the surface. This takes about 5–8 minutes.

   Starting in cold water draws out more impurities for a cleaner broth.

2. 2

   Prepare the tamarind

   If using fresh tamarind, boil the pods in 500ml water for 15 minutes until soft. Strain, pushing the pulp through a sieve, and discard seeds and fibres. If using tamarind paste, dissolve in 200ml warm water.

3. 3

   Build the broth

   Add the tomatoes and onion to the pork pot. Add the tamarind liquid and simmer uncovered for 30–40 minutes until the pork is tender.

4. 4

   Add vegetables

   Add the radish and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, string beans and green chillies, and cook for 5 more minutes. Season with fish sauce and salt — the broth should be pleasantly sour and well-seasoned.

5. 5

   Add greens and serve

   Add the water spinach (or regular spinach) and cook for just 1–2 minutes until wilted. Serve immediately over steamed white rice with a small bowl of bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) on the side.

Variations

• •

  Sinigang na Hipon: replace pork with large prawns, reduce cooking time to 15 minutes total.

• •

  Sinigang na Salmon: use salmon head and belly for a rich, fatty version popular in Manila.

• •

  Use a commercial Sinigang mix (tamarind powder) for a quick weeknight version.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Store refrigerated for up to 3 days. Add the leafy greens fresh when reheating — they do not keep well in the broth. The soup freezes well without the greens for up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions