Sinigang (Without the Packet)

Wikipedia

Sinigang (or “Sinig-ang” in some dialects of Tagalog) is a tangy, sour soup popular in Philippine cuisine. Commonly it consists of a protein, beef, pork, chicken or seafood and a soup soured by tamarind (Tagalog: “sampalok”), guava, calamondin or “golden lime” (Tagalog: “kalamansi”), bilimbi, unripe mango or miso paste. This recipe uses tamarind -- the most popular.

Tamarind comes in dried pods. But, before cooking, the pods are soaked in water until the seeds can be separated from the sticky, brown pulp. Both the seeds and the outer husk are discarded. This can take some time, so companies such as Knorr have created convenient packets that contain tamarind powder and other seasonings. When you read the ingredient list of these packets you will find… MSG.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) isn’t a “bad” seasoning, but it’s gained a reputation. There are those who steer clear of it. As for me, I use it occasionally when a recipe calls for it. And, as far as the convenient packets go, I’ve needed to use two or three to achieve that same tanginess that I prefer. How many I would used would depend on what brand. That would spell more packets, more MSG.

I like the idea of having more control over the seasonings I use and using only the tamarind fruit eschewing the packets. But, I just don’t have the experience with removing the fruit. I found a middle ground between convenience and real ingredients, however: tamarind concentrate or paste.

Living in Seattle, I was able to find tamarind concentrate and/or paste in various Asian supermarkets such as Viet Wah, HT Market near Oak Tree Cinemas in North Seattle or at the Uwajimaya in the International District/Chinatown.  Nevertheless, in this day and age tamarind concentrate/paste can be bought online via Amazon.com and the like.

I used about four tablespoons in my latest attempt. I was able to achieve that same zest that the friend that I was cooking for was surprised that I didn’t use a packet. Since I started cooking this way, I have only used tamarind concentrate with great results. I will never go back to the packets again!

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon oil such as canola (“rapeseed”) or corn oil.
• 1 Medium onion diced
• 3 – 4 Garlic cloves smashed and minced

• A pinch or two of table salt
• 1 1/2 – 2 Lbs. Pork butt (AKA “shoulder”) cut into 1” cubes
• 3 – 4 Roma or plum tomatoes or 1 medium-sized tomato quartered
• Approximately 3 – 4 Cups of water to cover
• 2 – 4 Tablespoons tamarind concentrate or more it you want a tangier soup
• 1/2 Lb. Yard-long beans (“sitaw”), trimmed of their stems and cut into 1” pieces
• 1/2 Lb. Baby bok choy cut in quarters lengthwise

• (Optional) 1 Tablespoon fish sauce (“patis”) – You can substitute with one teaspoon (or less) of regular table salt

NOTES:

• Tomatoes – Most recipes I’ve read include tomatoes, but I’ve found that too much tomato can make the broth sweet, something you don’t want if you want a sour broth.
• The protein in this recipe is pork, but you can use beef or seafood. If you decide to use beef and good stew cut works well, but it might be necessary to cook longer to tenderize the beef.
• The yard-long beans and the bok choy are more of a suggestion. You can substitute any green, leafy vegetable in your dish.

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a large pot such as 2 quart casserole or Dutch over medium high heat.
2. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and give it a quick stir.
3. Once the garlic is fragrant (less than one minute), add the diced onion. Add a few pinches of salt to help the onions sweat and become translucent. (3 – 4 minutes)
4. Add the pork and sauté until all pieces turn color. (5 – 6 minutes)
5. Stir in and macerate the tomatoes. If using, stir in the patis or add additional salt. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add water. Stir in the tamarind concentrate. Add one tablespoon at a time and taste. If it is as tangy as you want it at two tablespoons, stop. If you want it tangier, add another. But, make sure to stir and taste after each spoonful. Once it’s in, you can’t take it out!
7. Cover again and let cook for another 5 minutes.
8. Add the yard long beans. Cover again and cook for another 5 minutes.
9. Give the soup a stir. Add the bok choy; cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
10. At this point you can turn down the heat to medium-low and cook covered for another 10 – 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and for the pork to become tender.
11. Serve the soup with pork and vegetables in a bowl. Put steamed rice on a plate and pour a few tablespoons of patis into a small dipping bowl as a condiment.

Eating “Wet and Dry”

Sinigang is one of many dishes that can be eaten “wet and dry” in Filipino cuisine. What is meant by this is that the soup (the “wet”) is spooned over the rice (the “dry”) bit by bit as you eat. The rice in never soaked 100%. Fish out the pork or the vegetables and place onto the wet rice, spoon some of the condiment (here patis) over the protein and vegetables. Fill the spoon with the rice, soup and the pork and vegetables so you have everything in one bite. Enjoy!

White Adobo

Adobo a Puraw, Adobong Puti or “White Adobo” is yet another method of cooking what’s dubbed the “national” dish of the Philippines.

Filipino adobo is a method of cooking food in salt, garlic and vinegar – it is not a spice mixture as is adobo in Hispanic or Spanish cooking. Most commonly, the “salt” used is soy sauce introduced by Hokkien Chinese between the 10th and 11th centuries and gives the dish a brown color.

This dish, “White adobo”, harks back to a time before the introduction of soy sauce and uses plain salt instead. What it was called has been lost to history. This recipe uses chicken, but I imagine that pork can used as well. Pork belly would work well with this dish, too.

In searching for this recipe in “Kusina Masters” to “Adora’s Box”, I’ve traced their sources to the following blog post: “Adobong Puti (White Chicken Adobo) for Kulinarya Cooking Club”. My attempt differs slightly.

First of all, I used half the number of chicken thighs and I didn’t crisp the skin by browning it after braising. I just decided not to this time around. Maybe I’ll give it a shot and update this post.

Second, I’m not a fan of white vinegar – It’s just too strong for my palate.  Even just a fourth of a cup, seems too overpowering. (Yes, I’m Filipino.) I opted for “Sukang Iloko” which happens to have a bronze color and is milder. It’s similar in appearance to malt vinegar. Another vinegar would be fine; I’d just use 1/3 of a cup or less. Use the vinegar that suits your palate or whatever is readily available.

Third, I used about half as many garlic cloves or it’s equivalent, but minced. I would normally smash the whole cloves once they became soft, regardless. Why not cut to the chase?

And lastly, I used freshly ground black pepper and maybe a bit more salt. Trissalicious, the author of the post and recipe, doesn’t give an exact amount, so I had to start with a small amount at first then added more to get the right amount of saltiness. Did I mention that I have a salty palate? You can start with a bit less than suggested.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs, bone-in (with skin on)
• 1 - 2 tablespoons oil
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup Sukang Iloko (or less if using white vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
• 1 cup water
• 1 – 2 tablespoons of ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of salt (or less)
• 2 bay leaves

Preparation:

1. Mix the salt and pepper. Season the chicken well on both sides rubbing into the skin. 
2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken thighs skin-side down to brown and crisp up the skin. Do not turn over. This should take about 3 – 4 minutes. But, if you want it a bit crispier, add few more minutes, but watch for burning. 
3. Remove the chicken and set aside. Drain some of the rendered chicken fat leaving about a tablespoon in the pan.
4. Sauté the garlic until fragrant (2 – 3 minutes). Add the bay leaves and stir until the leaves become fragrant. Add the vinegar to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom and release the “fond”.
5. Add the chicken skin-side up. Cook in the vinegar for about 5 minutes, then add the water.
6. Cover and turn down the heat to medium-low to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Uncover and turn the chicken skin side down. Cover and continue simmering for another 15 minutes.
8. Remove chicken and place on a serving plate.
9. Reduce the sauce to about half. (15 – 20 minutes)
10. When serving, set a thigh on rice and spoon some of the sauce over the chicken. Serve the rest of the sauce on the side.