Sinigang na baboy is a famous pork soup typical of Filipino cuisine, known for the particular flavor of the broth that is flavored with tamarind.
Ingrediants
For 4-6 servings
- 30 ml of seed oil divided into two parts
- 1 kg of pork belly or ribs
- 1 large onion divided into four parts
- 1 large tomato cut into four parts
- 30-45 ml of fish sauce
- 2, 5 liters of water divided into two parts
- 10-15 tamarinds or a sachet and a half of aromas for the sinigang
- 3 pieces of taro divided into four parts
- 200 g of green beans cut into 5 cm pieces
- 3 Thai peppers or 2 chopped banana peppers
- 1 sliced Japanese eggplant
- 1 bunch of water spinach
- 1 sliced radish
- Salt to taste.
- Pepper as needed.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Prepare the Ingredients
Step 1. Choose a sour ingredient
Tamarind is the most traditional one used for this pork soup; you can cook sinigang with fresh fruit or use a ready-made spice mix.
- When using fresh fruit, you need 10-15 units; when you opt for flavorings, you need one and a half sachets of spices (about 40 g each). Alternatively, you can use ready-made tamarind pulp (about 100g) if you can find it in stores.
- Although this fruit is the most common and most used to give the dish a sour taste, you can decide to incorporate guava, bilimbi, pineapple, green mango, calamondino or sandorico; the other aromas in powder are fine always maintaining the same doses.
Step 2. Cut the pork
Rinse and dry it by dabbing with kitchen paper; then divide it into cubes of 5 cm per side.
- You can use different cuts of meat, but the most common are belly and ribs. Servings that include bones (such as ribs) improve the flavor of the broth; if you wish, you can use different parts of the pork to vary the flavor of the soup.
- When you decide to use the ribs, divide them into single portions, making sure they are about 5 cm long; do not remove the bones.
- If you have opted for the belly, simply cut the meat into 3 to 5 cm bites.
Step 3. Slice the vegetables
Rinse and pat them dry with kitchen paper before shredding them according to portions.
- Cut the onion and tomato into wedges or into four parts; peel the taro and divide it the same way.
- Cut the green beans into 5 cm segments or remove the ends before tying them on themselves.
- Chop the chillies and divide the water spinach into leaves.
- Slice the aubergine into 2-3 cm pieces holding the blade diagonally; peel the radish and cut it into 1.5 cm discs.
Part 2 of 4: Begin the Preparation
Step 1. Heat the oil
Pour 15ml of seed oil into a large saucepan and place it on the stove over medium-high heat.
Step 2. Brown the meat
Add the pork stew to the hot oil, cook, stirring frequently for 4 minutes or until most of the morsels are well browned on all sides.
- If the pan has a narrow bottom, you should brown the meat in batches; in theory, the various pieces should directly touch the base of the pot as they cook.
- After searing the meat, transfer it to a separate dish and keep it warm.
Step 3. Heat the rest of the oil
Pour the remaining 15ml into the same pan and reduce the heat to medium.
Step 4. Add the onion
Sauté it, stirring often for two minutes or until the various layers begin to separate.
As you go, scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the pork chunks and let them mix with the onion
Step 5. Transfer the pork to the pot along with the fish sauce and water
Put the meat back on the heat, also incorporating the fish sauce and 2 liters of water, mixing well.
Wait for the water to boil briskly before continuing; when it comes to a boil, use the spoon to carefully remove the foam and residues that accumulate on the surface of the liquid
Step 6. Add the tomato and chillies
Incorporate these ingredients by mixing to mix them with the rest.
Let the mixture boil for another 4 minutes or until the tomato and chillies are soft
Step 7. Let it simmer for 40-60 minutes
Reduce the heat to low and wait for the soup to boil gently for at least 40 minutes or until the meat is perfectly cooked and tender.
- Periodically check the liquid level while the soup is cooking; top up the water, if necessary, so that there are always 1.5 liters.
- In the meantime, start making the tamarind.
Part 3 of 4: Mash the Tamarind
Step 1. Boil it
Put the fresh fruits in a medium-sized saucepan and add 500 ml of water; bring everything to a boil and cook the tamarind until it becomes soft.
- You should continue cooking until the outer skin of the fruit breaks, 10-15 minutes should be enough; by doing so, the pulp should become very soft.
- If you have decided to use ready-made commercial pulp, pour it into a heat-resistant bowl and heat it in a double boiler over 8 cm of water; wait 10-15 minutes or until the pulp is soft enough to mash.
- When you use tamarind powder you don't have to make any preparation; you can pour it directly into the soup at the right time.
Step 2. Crush the fruit
Drain the water and then reduce the soft tamarind to a puree, using the convex part of the fork to create a thick dough.
Step 3. Separate the juice
Transfer the tamarind pulp to a fine mesh sieve, mash it with a fork until the juices come out and collect the juices with a bowl.
- Crush the seeds as well, as they release some juice.
- When finished, throw away the solid parts (seeds, peels and pulp) and save the juice for the soup.
Part 4 of 4: Complete the Preparation
Step 1. Add the taro
Once the pork begins to be tender, add the taro wedges and continue cooking over low heat for 15 minutes or until the fruit becomes soft.
- If you are cooking ribs, wait for the meat to start peeling off the bone before incorporating the taro. If, on the other hand, you are using a boneless cut, such as bacon, check its consistency by pricking it with a fork; when you are able to pierce it without it breaking, add the taro.
- If foam forms on the surface of the liquid after inserting the fruit, wipe it off with a spoon.
Step 2. Pour in the tamarind liquid
Add the juice to the broth and mix.
- Continue cooking for another 5 minutes at a light boil; in this way, the flavor of the tamarind blends with that of the broth and other ingredients.
- If you are using powdered tamarind instead of juice, simply pour it into the soup and stir to dissolve it; let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes as you would with fresh juice.
Step 3. Add the eggplant and radish
Arrange the slices of the two vegetables in the soup mixing to combine them with the rest of the ingredients; continue cooking for 5 minutes.
When finished, the eggplant should be almost tender and the radish slightly soft
Step 4. Incorporate the green beans
Add them while stirring and simmer them for 2-3 minutes.
At this point the meat and all the vegetables should be soft enough to pierce them with a fork; continue cooking until all the ingredients are ready
Step 5. Add the water spinach
Put the leaves in the soup by mixing them; turn off the stove and leave the pot covered to let the ingredients rest for 3-5 minutes.
Since water spinach are delicate vegetables, just cook them with residual heat to prevent them from turning to mush; when the dish is ready, the leaves should be wilted but intact
Step 6. Flavor according to taste
Taste the broth and add salt and pepper to balance the flavors; if desired, pour more fish sauce.
You should adjust the aromas to your personal preferences, but to make real sinigang na baboy the broth should be sour and salty
Step 7. Bring to the table
Transfer the soup to serving bowls using a ladle and enjoy.
- You can also remove the pork bones before bringing the dish to the table or let each diner take care of it once you've served it.
- Sinigang na baboy is often accompanied with steamed rice; Consider garnishing it with chopped scallions, lemon wedges, or other fish sauce.
