Sinigang na Baboy — Filipino Sour Pork Soup

About This Recipe

Sinigang is arguably the dish that best defines Filipino flavour preferences: a love of sourness (asim), the use of fresh aromatics, and the satisfying combination of tender meat and a vivid, vegetable-rich broth. The 'sinigang' base is a sour broth — traditionally made from tamarind (sampalok), though other souring agents like guava, kamias (bilimbi) or tomatoes are used in different regions. Sinigang na Baboy (pork sinigang) uses bone-in pork ribs, which simmer into a rich, gelatinous broth. Vegetables like kangkong (water spinach), sigarilyas (winged beans) and labanos (radish) are added towards the end to retain their texture and colour. It is eaten as the centrepiece of a Filipino meal, always with steamed rice.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 kgpork spare ribs(cut into 5cm pieces — ask your butcher)
• 2 litreswater
• 150 gtamarind paste(or 1 packet (40g) tamarind powder/sinigang mix)
• 2 mediumtomatoes(quartered)
• 1 mediumonion(quartered)
• 1 tspfish sauce (patis)(plus more to taste)
• 200 gkangkong (water spinach) or regular spinach(washed and cut into 8cm lengths)
• 150 glong beans (sitaw)(trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces)
• 1 mediumaubergine (eggplant)(cut into rounds)
• 150 gdaikon radish (labanos)(peeled, sliced into rounds)
• 2fresh green chillies (siling haba)(whole, or substitute long green chillies)
• 1 tspsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Parboil the pork

   Place pork ribs in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes — this removes impurities. Drain and rinse the pork and the pot.

   This parboiling step produces a cleaner, clearer broth. Don't skip it.

2. 2

   Start the broth

   Return the rinsed pork to the clean pot. Add 2 litres of fresh water, the quartered tomatoes and onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for 45–50 minutes until the pork is very tender and the meat starts pulling away from the bone.

3. 3

   Add the tamarind

   If using tamarind paste: dissolve in a cup of hot broth, strain through a fine sieve to remove seeds and fibres, then add the strained liquid to the pot. If using sinigang mix: simply stir in directly. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste — the broth should be pleasantly sour.

   The sourness level is very personal. Start with less tamarind, taste and add more. Filipinos generally prefer an assertively sour sinigang.

4. 4

   Season the broth

   Add fish sauce (patis) and salt. Taste and adjust — the balance of salty (fish sauce), sour (tamarind) and savoury (pork broth) should be harmonious.

5. 5

   Add vegetables

   Add radish and simmer 5 minutes. Add long beans, aubergine and green chillies, simmer 3 more minutes. Finally add kangkong (water spinach) or regular spinach and turn off the heat immediately — the residual heat wilts it perfectly without overcooking.

   Add vegetables in order of their cooking time: radish and hard vegetables first, leafy greens last at the very end.

6. 6

   Serve

   Ladle into deep bowls with plenty of broth. Always serve with a bowl of steamed white rice on the side. A small bowl of fish sauce with sliced chillies for additional seasoning at the table is traditional.

Variations

• •

  Sinigang na Hipon: replace pork with large whole prawns — cook for only 8–10 minutes total.

• •

  Sinigang na Salmon: salmon head and collar sinigang is increasingly popular — the gelatinous fish parts make an exceptionally rich broth.

• •

  Sinigang sa Miso: add 2 tablespoons of white miso to the broth for a richer, more complex flavour base.

Storage

Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. The pork continues to absorb the broth and improves in flavour. Reheat gently and add the leafy greens fresh each time.

Frequently Asked Questions