Pork in Tamarind Soup (Sinigang na Baboy )

Pork in tamarind soup (Sinigang na Baboy) and boiled rice

This is my favorite Filipino dish-- melt in your mouth pork fat, tender vegetables and piping hot sour soup.  Slathered on top a beautifully steamed or boiled rice, it’s Filipino comfort food at it’s finest.  This dish is versatile enough that you can substitute pork with fish, shrimps, a combination of fish and shrimps, chicken, beef or tofu.

Clockwise from top: eggplant, banana peppers,
taro,long beans, spinach and daikon

2 lbs pork (bacon cut), diced 1½ x1½"

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

3 roma tomatoes, sliced

3 Tbsp fish sauce (patis)

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

4 cups rice wash*

½ lb. taro, peeled and sliced 1" thick

3 pcs. banana pepper
10 pcs. long beans, cut 2" long
2 medium daikon, peeled & sliced 1/3"

1 chinese eggplant, peeled & sliced 1/3"

2 packet tamarind soup base**

2 cups spinach ***

*Rice wash is the water used to wash the rice before cooking.

**Tamarind soup base is available in most Asian stores.

***Ong Choy (kangkong in Filipino) is used traditionally instead of spinach.

Heat a 5.5 quart pot in a medium flame.  Add the pork and cook until slightly browned.  Add garlic and onion and sauté until softened.  Add tomatoes, and cook until the flesh separates from the skin.  Add fish oil and black pepper in the pot, give it a couple of
stir to coat the meat.

Add the rice wash, cover the pot and bring to a boil.  When it comes to a rolling boil,
lower the heat, cover and simmer until pork is very tender, about an hour.
(If you own a pressure cooker, cooking time can be reduced significantly.)  

Halfway through cooking, add the taro wedges. Fifty (50) minutes through cooking,
add daikon and banana peppers.  Fifty-five minutes (55) minutes through cooking,
add the long beans and banana peppers.  Add the tamarind soup base , and simmer
for additional 5 minutes.  Add the spinach and cook for another minute.  Remove from heat and serve with steamed (boiled) rice.

Kain na!  (Let’s eat!)