Pork Sinigang or sinigang baboy is a sour soup from the Tagalog region of the Philippines. This version is made with tamarind. It features stewed meat with a variety of vegetables.
900grams pork butt or pork shoulder, about 2 pounds, cut into 2-inch chunks
12cupscool water
2cups tomato*, about 4 pieces, quartered
1yellow onion, chopped
450gramswhite radish, (labanos), about 1 pound, peeled, cut into ¼-inch disks
200gramsyard long beans, cut into 3-inch pieces
2bunchesmustard greens, large chopped
3buncheswater spinach , (kangkong) stems cut into 3-inch pieces, leaf portion as is
3Tbsptamarind paste
1 ½Tbspkosher salt, or more to taste
Instructions
Place pork ribs in a large stock pot.* Cover with cool water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes to release impurities from pork bones. Skim any foam and fat that rises to the surface.
Add pork butt. Continue to boil for another 5 minutes. Drain ribs and meat. Discard water. Rinse out any impurities or dirty bits that may have stuck to the pot.
Place par-cooked ribs and meat back into the clean stock pot. Cover with 12 cups cool water.*
Add tomato and onion. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until rib bone meat and pork chunks are tender.
Add white radish and yardlong beans. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add mustard greens. Simmer for another 3 minutes. Add water spinach leaves and stems.
Stir in tamarind pate and salt. Simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes. Taste. Add more salt to taste. Remove from heat. Serve sinigang hot with white rice.
Notes
Use a large stock pot, preferably 10 to 12 quarts in size
Vegetable Cooking Times
Vegetables cook at different rates. Cook thicker, heartier vegetables first. Add delicate, leafy greens towards the end.Long cooking:
Gabi (taro) 20-25 minutes
Labanos (white radish) 10-15 minutes
Talong (eggplant) 10-15 minutes
Sitaw (yardlong bean) 8-10 minutes
Okra 8-10 minutes
Fast Cooking (5 minutes or less):
kangkong (water spinach)
mustasa (mustard greens)
bok choy
COOKING TIP
Always use cold or cool tap water for when making soups or stock. In general, cold water should be used when preparing all foods or drinks.
Hot tap water often has higher levels of minerals. Many home pipes contain lead and other heavy metals that may leach into water. These particles dissolve more quickly in hot water than cold.