Sinigang Na Baboy (Pork in Sour Tamarind Soup)

It's called Sinigang Na Baboy which means pork in sour tamarind soup and is a typical dish cooked in many filipino homes. There are a few other fruits that can substitute the souring agent for tamarind which are green guava and or green mango I'm told by my wife. As long it can get sour it's "sinigang"! My mom loves this also for the sour tangy flavor. As for my dad and I we prefer it less sour so you may cut down on the tamarind soup base to your liking.


Ingredients:

3-4 lbs fresh pork spare ribs or pig's feet shanks, cut into desired size pieces
1 whole ripe tomato quarted and sliced thin
1 round yellow onion peeled, halved and sliced thin
1 Tbsp coarse Hawaiian or kosher salt
3-4 green sweet whole chilis
2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed and minced fine
1 inch ginger root, sliced in half and smashed
2 packages Mama Sita Tamarind Soup Base
3 long eggplants sliced 1/4 inch diagonally
1 bunch fresh ong choy or kangkong (swamp spinach)
3-4 small taro root (gabi=dasheen=araimo=taro) peeled and quartered
6-8 fresh okra, stems cut off and sliced into 1 inch sections
1 small Japanese radish or daikon, peeled and quarted
MSG to taste (optional)
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
4-6 Tbsp of fish sauce or patis=nuoc mam
fresh cold water

Procedure:

• Rinse pork and place in stockpot. Fill with fresh water just to cover. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes and skim off scum. Drain and rinse pork pieces under running water. Wash stockpot clean and return pork to pot. Once again cover with fresh water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook until tender about 1 hour and 15 minutes or so. Check tenderness with fork during simmer.
• While pork is simmering add onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and tamarind mix.
• Season with MSG, pepper, fish sauce and salt to taste.
• Add eggplant, gabi, ong choy, daikon, and sweet chilis about 5 mins before pork reaches tenderness. Bring heat to high to cook down the vegetables.
• Taste broth and adjust taste accordingly.

Serves 3-4
Eat with steamed fluffy white rice! Enjoy and let's kaukau!! :)