As I've been pretty sick these past two weeks and my stomach has been very particular of late, I've been finding comfort in light, refreshing soups such as this sinigang na baka. I cooked a hefty pot on Thursday and it's all I've been eating these last couple of days. With fork-tender meat, crisp vegetables and a tamarind-thick broth, sinigang is something I don't mind having over and over, for days on end.
Although I add a myriad of vegetables~from okra, eggplant to long beans and pechay~to my sinigang na baboy, I prefer my sinigang na baka the my mother prepared it for us when we were growing up. Her sinigang was but a simple affair of kangkong, labanos and gabi, giving more emphasis to a perfectly-sour broth made extra flavorful by gently simmered bone-rich beef ribs.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef short ribs
- 10 cups water
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 large Roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 6 gabi, peeled and halved depending on size
- 2 finger chilies
- 1 (6 inches) radish (labanos), peeled and cut into ½-inch thick on a bias
- 15 large tamarind pieces or 1 ½ (1.41 ounces each) packages tamarind base powder
- 1 bunch kangkong
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a pot over medium heat, combine beef ribs and water. Bring to a boil, skimming scum that floats on top.
- When the broth has cleared, add onions, tomatoes, and fish sauce.
- Lower heat, cover and cook for about 1 ½ to 2 hours or until meat is fork-tender.
- Add gabi and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until soft.
- Add chili and radish. Continue to simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Trim about 2 inches from the kangkong stalks and discard. Cut kangkong into 3-inch lengths, separating the sturdier stalks from the leaves.
- If using packaged tamarind base, add into the pot and stir until completely dissolved. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add kangkong and continue to cook for about 1 minute. Serve hot.
If Using Fresh Tamarind
- Wash tamarind and place in a pot with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft and outer skins begin to burst.
- With a fork, mash tamarinds.
- In a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl, pour tamarind and liquid. Continue to mash with a fork, returning some of the liquid into the strainer once or twice, to fully extract the juice.
- Discard seeds and skins. Pour tamarind juice into the sinigang.
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Teresa Whitmore says
CAN U COOK SINIGANG NA BABOY AT BAKA
EDUARDO CAMACHO says
I live sinigang and want to make enough for 8 , would I just double the ingredients on the recipe? TIA
EDUARDO CAMACHO says
*Love
Lalaine Manalo says
Hi Eduardo! Yes, that's correct since the current ingredients yield 4 servings 🙂
Marcelina Valverde says
Sorry to hear you havent been feeling well! 🙁 being sick is never fun.... this soup looks DELICIOUS. sinigang is definitely comfort food. Hope you continue to feel better... hugs. Lina
Lalaine says
Thanks, Lina, for the well-wishes. I feel much better although still with some coughing and congestion. I guess it takes a couple of weeks to get over respiratory infections.
How's the pregnancy coming along?
Raymund says
Sinigang is our favourite dish, a week wont pass without making them from baboy, baka, fish and even chicken
Lalaine says
Hi Raymund
Sinigang is our favorite, too. We don't like it as much with fish but pork liempo or pork spareribs, yummy!
JE says
Now that sounds so delish. Comfort food at its finest
Lalaine says
Hi JE
Yes, nothing comforts better than a bowl of piping hot, perfectly-sour sinigang 🙂