Pork Sinigang Recipe (Sinigang na Baboy)

Pork sinigang is a hearty and delicious sour soup from the Philippines. Flavored with tamarind concentrate, this delicious dish is best paired with a side of rice for a filling meal.

This particular recipe uses tamarind concentrate as the main souring agent for a slightly fruitier, lower-sodium, and equally as delicious sinigang broth!

To me, this was always the comfort dish growing up in Canada. Whenever it would reach to the negative temperatures and the last thing you’d want to do is leave your home, Pork Sinigang warms you right up. It’s hearty, filling, nutritious, and healthy too!

We’d always hoard sinigang packet mixes by the boxful since they’re so convenient to use and can practically make a quick soup in just under an hour. When I went away for college for the first time and lived on a budget, sinigang was the go-to dish since it was so easy to whip up in between classes. Being one of the only people who could cook in my dorm room, I naturally fed all my roommates and introduced them to this cozy Filipino soup. Everyone loved it.

What is Sinigang?

Sinigang is an umbrella term of Filipino soups, typically soured by different unripe fruits, like tamarind, kamias (bilimbi), green mango, and bayabas (guava).

Mom always said it was the perfect dish to get your veggies in, as it normally contains chockfull of greens and root vegetables. She’d throw anything from green beans, Bok Choy, spinach, daikon (white radish), and gabi (taro).

It was also the most versatile dish with different variations depending on the protein you use, such as pork (usually belly, shoulder, spare ribs, or pork neck bones) to seafood (such as shrimp, salmon, pompano). Some recipes also use chicken and beef for more variety.

You will also notice from the ingredients that I opted for tamarind concentrate, which usually comes in a plastic or glass jar and has the consistency of a watery paste. Lately, I’ve been loving doing this as you can really taste the natural fruitiness of the tamarind. Additionally, you can also better control the seasoning and salt content of the broth (perfect for my grandparents who have to be on low-sodium diets!). Of course, feel free to use the seasoning packets/mix as well if you’d like additional sourness and intensity.

You can always adjust towards the end by adding more tamarind concentrate or sinigang mix, one tablespoon at a time, to taste.

Ingredients and Substitutes

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full measurements for these ingredients!

Pork: I like to use thick chunks of pork belly for my sinigang. You may use pork shoulder, butt, ribs, or even neck bones for this recipe (the bones make for the most flavorful broth!).

Tamarind concentrate:  Tamarind will be our main souring agent, giving the sinigang its characteristic tang. You may also use sinigang powders/mixes as a more convenient substitute.

Pork bouillon cube, fish sauce: These will provide the broth a more savory and intense umami flavor. These can be omitted and just replaced with more salt to taste.

Tomato, onion, taro, white radish, eggplant, leafy greens, string beans (sitaw), okra, finger chilies: These are some of the most common veggies you’ll typically see in sinigang. You can use all of them, or omit some, it’s all up to your preference!

Instructions

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full detailed instructions! 

In a pot. combine together the water, tomatoes, onions, pork belly, tamarind concentrate, fish sauce, and pork bouillon. Let simmer until the pork is tender.

After simmering, add in the taro and white radish to soften.

Add in the rest of the veggies to soften. Season with more fish sauce or tamarind to taste.

Cooking Tips

Season to taste: I always season more towards the end since the veggies tend to release water that can dilute the soup’s taste. Be sure adjust with more fish sauce, salt, and/or tamarind to taste, if needed. You could also add more sinigang powdered mix for a more sour outcome.

Sear the pork: Some other versions of sinigang will have you sear the pork first to achieve browning, followed by sautéing the onions and tomatoes briefly in the residual fat. The resulting sinigang has a deeper taste and a reddish hue to the soup (from the broken down tomatoes).

Stagger your addition of vegetables: Timing is key for cooking the veggies in sinigang. Add them too early, and the veggies become mushy and overcooked. Add them too late, and the veggies don’t have a chance to soften and they retain their unpleasant bitterness.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do I store leftover Sinigang?

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Anything longer than a few days will cause it to spoil as the high acidity of the soup begins to degrade the pork and veggies.

To reheat, you can simply warm the sinigang in the microwave or over stovetop until the soup is hot and returns to liquid state and the pork is fully warmed-through.

How is this served?

Pork sinigang is most commonly served warm with a bowl of rice. For a more authentic Filipino way of eating, serve the sinigang and rice with a side of fish sauce to briefly dip the meat in before every bite!

Can I cook this in a pressure cooker/Instant Pot?

While I haven’t personally tried this method yet, some cooks mention having success by using a pressure cooker to speed up the tenderizing of the pork and to have a more off-hands approach to making the sinigang.

Let me know if you end up giving this method a try, I’d love to know how it turns out!

Looking for more delicious comfort foods? Here’s a few that you might enjoy:

• Khao Soi
• Lugaw (Filipino Rice Porridge)
• Hong Shao Rou (Red Braised Pork Belly)
• Filipino Kabocha Soup