The Filipino sour soup, sinigang, has many variants. It can be made with pork, beef, chicken or seafood and although traditionally tamarind-based, the use of guava, kamias, unripe mango and calamansi as souring agents is not uncommon. A wide array of vegetables such as tomatoes, pechay, water spinach, eggplant, okra, long beans and radish are usually added to extend this classic Filipino viand.
In this sinigang na hipon sa calamansi, I made things pretty basic using the spinach, radish and eggplant I already had on hand. Not that the vegetables matter. The hero of this soup is its citrusy broth, it’s light and refreshing and the perfect foil to the sweetness of the shrimp. Make this your dinner tonight (with lots of rice pretty please) and don’t forget to rate the recipe. I love hearing from you.
- 5 cups rice washing or plain water
- 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 medium tomatoes, quartered
- 1 small radish, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 eggplant, end trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 banana or finger chili peppers
- 1 pound shell-on shrimp, tendrils trimmed, washed and drained well
- ½ cup calamansi juice
- fish sauce to taste
- 1 bunch spinach, stems trimmed and leaves separated
- In a pot over medium heat, bring water to a boil. Add onions and tomatoes and cook until softened. Add radish, eggplant and chili peppers. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are half-cooked.
- Add shrimps and calamansi juice. Season with fish sauce to taste. Continue to cook until shrimps color changes to pink and vegetables are tender yet crisp. Add spinach leaves, pushing down into broth with back of spoon. Turn off heat, cover and allow residual steam to cook leaves. Serve hot with fish sauce on the side, if desired.
Sarap magkamay pag ganito ang ulam, yum!
Haha, sinabi mo. Kahit may sabaw, nagkakamay pa rin ako pag hipon ang ulam. Mas enjoy 🙂