Sinigang na Baboy

For this month’s recipe I’ve decided on a tasty dish originally from Cebu, but now a firm favorite throughout the Philippines - Sinigang na Baboy.

Sinigang is an ideal dish for a novice or experienced Filipino cook, and Sinigang na Baboy is an easy to prepare (and forgiving) recipe providing mouth tingling sour, Tamarind-based broth with pork and vegetables.

Although this sinigang dish originated in Cebu, as a Kapampangan girl I prefer the more basic Kapampangan style recipe I’ve shown here. Although like many Filipino foods, there are lots of regional variations to sinigang recipes, the main difference between my Kapampangan sinigang and most other variations is that I use Pork Liempo (belly slices), and no onions.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Kilo of Tamarind (Sampalok)
• 1 pc. Gabi (taro) (cut to 1 inch slices)
• 1 Kilo of Pork Belly (Liempo) (sliced into 1 inch pieces)
• 2 large Tomatoes (rough sliced)
• 1 medium White Radish (labanos) (thin sliced)
• 4 to 6 Green Chillies (siling mahaba)
• 1/4 Kilo Kangkong leaves (if no Water Spinach available you can use ordinary spinach or replace with sitaw (string beans)
• 2 tsp salt
• Patis (for serving accompaniment)

Directions

In a pan of water (no salt), boil the tamarind until it is soft. When soft, remove and mash the tamarind through a sieve to get the juice. Set the Juice aside.

Place the pork pieces in a pan. Add water sufficient water to cover the pork pieces, then add in the salt. Place on a high heat until the mixture boils, then turn heat down and simmer until the pork is tender (approx. 30-45 minutes)

With the pork tender and the pan still on simmer, add in the Gabi and alow to cook until it becomes tender.

When the Gabi is tender with the pan still on simmer, add in the tomatoes, raddish, kangkong leaves, and green chillies. Allow to simmer for a further 10 minutes.

After a 10 minutes, add in the tamarind juice and allow to simmer for a further 10-15 munites.

Serving

Serve hot and note that although this dish can be served as a thick soup, it is normally served with white rice, and a small bowl of patis (fish sauce) for people to add to their own taste. 

Get updated when we add new articles...

Sign up for our free newsletter on the home page or click 'Newsletter Sign Up' on our contact us page.