Pages

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

"How to make Sinigang, the native soup in the Phillipines" by Caitlyn Jane B

 

Growing up in a Filipino household, you are introduced to many native dishes throughout your life. You’re introduced to different foods you may have never even heard of, like Pancit, Adobo, Lumpia, Sisig, Papaitan, and many more; However, the most memorable meal I remember as a kid and even now that essentially became my ‘cheer me up’ meal whenever I was sick or just in need of something warm was Sinigang. Sinigang is a savory sour soup with pork as the main ingredient and vegetables. The main part of this meal is the sourness. The sourness is what makes it different from other recipes. Since the holidays are coming and it’s somewhat beginning to be cold in California, I want to give you this super delicious recipe you can enjoy with your families this year.

Ingredients:

-       2 lbs pork belly (chose any protein you prefer)

-       1 bunch bok choy

-       3 tablespoons fish sauce

-       1 bunch string beans, cut in 2 inches in length

-       2 pieces tomato, quartered

-       3 finger chilis

-       1 tablespoon cooking oil

-       8 cups of water

-       1 onion, sliced

-       1 pack of sinigang mix or tamarind mix soup base

-       Rice (optional)

Directions:

1.    Grab a small pot (enough for however amount of rice you’re planning to cook) and add 4 cups of water. Then, bring to a boil.

-       If you have a rice cooker, a little trick I learned when measuring the ratio of water to rice is the finger trick. You level the rice evenly, place your index finger at the top of the rice, and measure the water to the first line on your finger

2.    In a separate bowl, add in 3 cups of rice and clean with water until the water is somewhat clear.

 

3.    After cleaning the rice, add the 3 cups of rice into the boiling water and adjust the heat to the lowest setting. Check after 20 mins. If not cooked continue to add 5 mins until done.

4.    While cooking the rice, rinse all the vegetables.

 

5.    In a pot, add 8 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, and 2 lbs of pork belly over medium heat. Bring to a boil and remove all the film that rises to the top.

 

6.    After bringing to a boil and removing the film, add tomato, onion, and fish sauce. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Continue to add water to your liking.

7.    Don’t forget about the rice!

 

8.    Add in the sinigang mix/tamarind mix and the chilis then, stir. This will give you the sour flavor. At this point, you want to taste the broth and add in any missing spices to get your desired flavor.


9.    After stirring, you want to add in your string beans or any other vegetables you have and simmer for another 5-8 minutes.

10.  Turn off heat, put in the bok choy at the top, and let the remaining heat cook/steam the remaining ingredients.

11.  Grab a bowl, add in your cooked rice, pour in your freshly made sinigang, and feast!

And you’re all done! This recipe will make you want to try more Filipino dishes, trust me!

20 comments:

  1. I LOVE Sinigang, it is my favorite food. My mom makes it all the time! I absolutely love the sourness, even though it may sound weird to others. It is absolutely delicious! People need to try this out!

    ReplyDelete
  2. WOW I've never heard nor tried a sour soup, but this recipe sounds so yummy well done!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can't believe I have never heard of this soup becomes it sounds absolutely amazing! I can't wait to try this recipe on my own, thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This raised a lot of questions in my head at first, like seriously I didnt even know about sour soup. But as I continued reading the recipe it contained sounding very yummy. Definitely am going to try this thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. YOOOOOOO, one of my favorite Filipino dishes. No joke, at least once a week in a month my mom always makes this and I would highly recommend sinigang for everyone because it's very unique and delicious. Good job on being precise with the ingredients and directions

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love soups. I will be trying this out since I need more soup recipes! Thank you for sharing your culture with us! -Angela Carnalla

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sinigang is soooo good! I usually ask my mom to use shrimp instead of pork lol. This recipe seems easier than I thought so hopefully I can surprise my mom with food on the table one day when she comes home from work!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sinigang is my ABSOLUTE favorite!!!!!!! It was so nice to read a recipe from my very own culture. Also, I have always wondered how to measure the amount of water with your finger when cooking rice and now I will finally test it out next time. Thank you for sharing!!! -Kaitlin Dalisay

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ooo this recipe looks really good!! I've never tried this soup but I'm sure my mom would love to recreate this. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This soup sounds so good! Thank you for sharing a soup that you grew up with and you still continue to love. I have never heard of a soup that is known for being sour and it only makes me want to try this recipe even more.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your piece was really good! I liked how you added an introduction that explained why you chose this dish, it really helps the audience become familiar with the food.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have been wanting to try new recipes from other cultures! Thank for sharing this dish it sounds so delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I always love trying new things so this soup is right up my alley. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! -Abigail Babatunde

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Caitlyn! Sinigang is so good. It's yummy and delicious and always brings my family together. I have personally never made it myself but I will for sure try it with your recipe. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  15. YESS!! I LOVE making Filipino food and learning more recipes. I literally made tocilog the other day! I have been meaning to tackle Sinigang recently so this is perfect timing. I am going to try this recipe as soon as I can

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love how the soup is known for being sour! That is so unique. I also enjoy how you incorporated your childhood memories. It made everything more personable and more than just a recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Coming from a very Hispanic household my soups have only ever been salty or spicy so I'm definitely going to be trying this sour soup in my free time. I'm also going to try your rice trick as I am the rice maker which is unfortunate for my household. My rice always ends up super soggy but I'm hoping to improve with your advice.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sinigang was one of my favorite childhood foods growing up! I definitely agree that it's such a comfort food. The instructions were very detailed. I really appreciate you sharing this recipe since this is such a good soup I hope others enjoy too. I definitely want to try and cook this for my family!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This seems so delicious! I've never had Sinigang because I'm not really in touch with my Filipino side of my family. I will definitely try to make this sometime. Also, I love how the food can reconnect with past memories and joys. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  20. AnthonyEarl VillegasJanuary 15, 2021 at 9:02 PM

    I ABSOLUTELY LOVE SINIGANG, sometimes I literally just drink it in a cup or pour it over rice with no side dishes. I never really took it upon myself to learn how to make it on my own so I really appreciate this post!

    ReplyDelete

Remember, make your comment positive, supportive, and specific to the piece you're commenting on. No anonymous comments! :)