“Sinigang na baboy is a popular Filipino dish known for its sour and savory broth. Made with pork ribs and lots of vegetables, it’s the ultimate comfort food anytime of the year especially during cold and rainy days.”

Sinigang na baboy or pork sinigang is an all-time favorite Filipino dish! Renowned for being sour, savory, and occasionally spicy, sinigang na baboy is filling and tasty on its own or when paired with steaming rice.

Sinigang has always been and will always be a staple dish served regularly in Filipino meals. Personally, pork sinigang is one of my favorite Filipino dish. I love the acidity that awakens my tastebuds which also pleases my tongue. It’s delicious and makes me feel at home.

I grew up loving its taste and variations. My mom used to cook sinigang in variety of ways. She uses whatever fresh fruits available in our backyard.

Sometimes she made use of fresh tamarind (sampalok), cotton fruit (santol) or with kamias as these fruits are abundant during their season.

Aside from pork, she uses other protein in making sinigang. Whatever sinigang variation it is, I always find it enjoyable and comforting especially when shared with your loved ones.

Sinigang na baboy is a dish made with tangy and delicious tamarind broth, pork, and a lot of veggies, making it quite nutritional as well.

It’s a simple mixture of ingredients that can be thrown in a pot and combined to create a deliciously hearty soup that’s ideal any time of the year especially during rainy days or on cold or sick days when you simply want to curl up with. You can also enjoy it even during hot summer days.

So when you misses home, or just want to feel warm and cozy, this sinigang na baboy recipe will do the job. It was scrumptious, satisfying, and filling!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT

• Easy to cook. So simple to make and there is no special skills required. This recipe is beginner-friendly so you can cook this dish even when you are still learning to cook.
• So delicious and warming. Perfect anytime of the day especially during rainy season or winter time. The hot sour soup awakens your senses and brings warmth to the body.
• Healthy. There are lots of vegetables included and you can customize what vegetables you put in.

WHAT IS SINIGANG?

Sinigang is a traditional Filipino soup distinguished by a blend of savory and sour ingredients. In the Philippines, it’s a well-liked comfort food that’s typically served on its own or with steamed rice.

Sinigang is a phrase for the cooking process, not a name for a specific meal. Generally translated as “stewed in sour soup,” this phrase can refer to any type of protein, including pork, chicken, beef, fish, and shrimp. It is also cooked with a range of vegetables, the most popular ones are radish, tomatoes, onion, green chili (siling pansigang), taro (gabi), lady finger (okra), string beans (sitaw), and water spinach (kangkong).

The major characteristic of sinigang is the sour and savory soup. The sour broth is made by using tart fruits as a souring agent. Other recipe uses fresh tamarind, kamias (bilimbi), green mango, guava, santol, or calamansi for a more traditional style.

In this sinigang recipe, I’m using a packet of sinigang sa sampalok mix or powdered tamarind for convenience and simplicity.

WHAT IS A TAMARIND FRUIT?

The tamarind fruit or “sampalok” in Tagalog is a tropical fruit that can be found in Africa and Asia. Some homes in the Philippines even have them in their gardens or backyards just like in our case.

The fruit has a mix of sweetness and tartness. Ripe tamarind can be used to flavor both sweets and desserts as well as main dishes, as this recipe for sinigang (soup).

To use fresh tamarind fruit in sinigang, just let it boil together with the pork until it becomes quite mushy. Remove from the broth and place in small bowl with little broth. Start mashing using a spoon or fork until it releases its juice/ pulp. Then, strain the extracted juice into the sinigang broth. Discard the seeds and skins.

INGREDIENTS FOR SINIGANG NA BABOY

Here are the list of ingredients we need in cooking sinigang na baboy:

• Pork. While pork belly is the traditional meat used in pork sinigang, I prefer to use pork ribs since the soup is more flavorful because of the bones. You can check other cuts you can use in the FAQ section.
• Oil, garlic and onion. I prefer to saute or “isangkutsa” my pork first before boiling it to make it richer and more flavorful.
• Tomatoes. Provides color, a little tang, sweetness, and of course, flavor to the soup. Use ripe, juicy tomatoes when you can.
• Fish sauce. Gives out umami flavor and richness to the broth. It also counteract the soup’s sourness. You can substitute salt if you want.
• Radish (labanos). Adds color variation, flavor and nutrition to the dish.
• Taro (gabi). Gabi adds a starchy component to the dish making the soup thicker.
• Green or finger chili (siling haba or pansigang). It gives the dish some slight spiciness, optional but highly recommended.
• String beans (sitaw). Adds nutrition and flavor to the dish. Personally, this is an optional ingredient but you can use as you wish.
• Lady finger (okra). Some recipes make this as optional vegetables. But personally, I dot leave this out since it is very nutritious and one of my favorite vegetables.
• Sinigang sa sampalok mix. You can use fresh tamarind fruit if you can. Because fresh tamarind fruit isn’t always readily accessible where we live currently, I typically use sinigang sa sampalok mix. It’s simple and convenient but taste also amazing.
• Water spinach (kangkong). Adds color and flavor to the dish. you can substitute romaine lettuce, bok choy, spinach, camote tops or bok choy.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

HOW TO COOK SINIGANG NA BABOY

Making sinigang na baboy is quite easy. If you are in a hurry, you can cook the traditional way by boiling the meat until tender and then adding the vegetables and souring agent.

The other method is sautéing the pork first before proceeding to the next step, which is basically same as the traditional method.

I usually use this method of cooking because I find the soup very tasty and rich. This is especially true if you are using boney parts since it doesn’t have much fat in them.

To begin, heat oil in a large cooking pot. Saute garlic and onion and cook until aromatic and translucent.

Add the pork ribs, season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally and cook until no longer pink about 5 minutes.

Pour water and let it boil. Remove the scums that float on top. Then, add the tomatoes and fish sauce.

Cover, simmer in medium heat and cook until the pork becomes tender around 50 minutes to 1 hour. Add more water if necessary.

Add the taro and cook for about 5 minutes.

Toss in the raddish and chillies and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add long beans and cook for 2 minutes.

Add okra and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Combine the sinigang sa sampalok mix and taste, adding more as per your preferred sourness level.

Lastly, add the kangkong and stir. Turn off the heat and cover the pot to let the remaining heat cook the kangkong.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with steaming rice with spicy fish sauce on the side.

Share and enjoy!

SINIGANG VARIATIONS

This recipe’s particular variation is known as sinigang na baboy sa sampalok. Here are some additional sinigang variations that can perhaps suits your own preferences and cooking technique.

• Sinigang sa miso
• Sinigang sa calamansi (kalamansi)
• Sinigang sa bayabas
• Sinigang sa mangga
• Sinigang sa kamias

You can use the following meat ingredients:

• Sinigang na isda, popular versions are sinigang na salmon (head and belly) and sinigang na bangus (milkfish)
• Sinigang na baka
• Sinigang na manok
• Sinigang na hipon

You may also add or substitute other vegetables to this sinigang na baboy recipe to make it more nutritious:

• Spinach
• bok choy
• Romaine lettuce
• Camote tops (talbos ng kamote)
• Nappa cabbage
• Winged beans (sigarilyas)
• Baguio beans
• eggplant (talong)

TIPS IN COOKING PORK SINIGANG

• Personally, I prefer mine to be slightly sour so I don’t usually use the full packet of sinigang sa sampaloc mix. Depending on your preference, you can adjust the level of sourness.
• Make sure that all of your ingredients are uniformly and precisely cut into serving-sized pieces so that they may all be cooked at the same time.
• Sautéing the pork with garlic and onion makes the soup becomes richer.  If you prefer not to, just skip the sautéing part and just boil the pork with onion, tomatoes and fish sauce until it becomes tender.
• Remove the scum that rises on the top of the pot after cooking the pork to make it tender for a clear, light, and sour broth.
• If available, you can use fresh tamarind fruit for a more authentic version. You can check the post above on how to use it in this pork sinigang recipe.
• When adding the vegetables, start adding the vegetables that cooks slowly.
• Add as many vegetables as you want. I prefer to put more on my favorite vegetables.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are the best pork cuts to use in sinigang?

For this pork sinigang recipe, I used pork ribs because the bones give the stew additional richness and flavor. But you can use any cut of pork you want, just like when making adobo.

Pork ribs, spareribs, hocks and knuckles, tailbone, or neck bones are flavorful but boney and perfect for soups but may need more time to cook.

Pork belly (liempo) is the most commonly used cut in sinigang. It is naturally soft and contains a lot of fatty meat, which, when cooked properly, brings out a lot of flavor.

Pork ham (pigue) and pork shoulder (kasim) are also suitable for cooking sinigang na baboy. But keep in mind that they have less fat, flesh, and bones.

What sour fruit can I substitute for tamarind fruit?

Aside from fresh tamarind fruit, you can use other souring fruits such as cotton fruit (santol), kamias (bilimbi), green mango, guava, calamansi or lemon.

Can I make sinigang using a pressure cooker?

Yes, if you’d like to. Even while it seems strange, it really shortens the cooking process, especially if you’re using pork ribs. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, this method of making sinigang is good.

HOW TO SERVE

Serve pork sinigang while still hot, either on its own or with a serving of steaming rice. You can serve it anytime of the day particularly when it’s rainy or chilly.

Serve it with fish sauce and crushed green chili on the side for dipping for a complete experience.

HOW TO STORE

Place leftover sinigang na baboy in an airtight container with a lid and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat in stove top, place in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. If necessary, add extra water and seasoning.

If using microwave, place in a bowl and microwave for about 2 to 3 minutes at a time until thoroughly warmed. Stir well after each interval to spread heat.

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