Another popular Filipino dish is sinigang. It makes the meal more appetizing because it has broth and vegetables. The sour broth is perfect with steamed rice.
Variations of sinigang may be pork, beef, or fish. Cooking time will be shorter if the main ingredient is fish.
ALSO READ: 5 Popular Pinoy Grocery Stores in Qatar
Nutritious and Easy-to-find Ingredients for Sinigang
A good time to cook sinigang is when salmon is on sale at the supermarket. And from there, all the other ingredients can be found in the produce section. But just to be sure, most of these might be available at a Filipino supermarket.
To start cooking, prepare the following ingredients:
- 4-6 pieces salmon, cut into serving size
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 8 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 small ginger, sliced
- ¼ kilo sitao, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 pieces red tomato
- 1 medium sized radish, sliced
- 3 pieces okra
- 2 pieces eggplant, sliced
- ¼ kilo kangkong
- 1 piece green chili
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Patis to taste
- 3 tablespoons commercial sinigang mix (optional)
- 2-3 pieces lemon, sliced or 2 pieces tamarind (optional)
- Rice wash or 3 cups water
Before cooking, make sure that the fish and vegetables are washed well. Then, follow these easy steps:
- Put the ginger, tomato, tamarind, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper into a pot. Add water or rice wash and wait to boil.
- When the tomatoes are soft, mash these into the soup broth using a strainer. If tamarind will be used, mash these as well.
- If commercial sinigang mix will be used, add it to the broth while stirring. If this is not available, squeeze the lemons into the broth. Wait to boil before stirring. One or two tablespoons of patis may also be added to improve the taste.
- Add radish, okra,eggplant, sitao, green chili, and salmon. Boil for about 4 minutes. Lemon or sinigang mix may also be added again to get the desired taste.
- Add kangkong and boil again for another 2 minutes. Remove the kangkong leaves and put in a separate bowl before turning off the fire.
Rice wash is believed to contain nutrients, so it is a good idea to use it in cooking sinigang. Just make sure to use the second wash. But if tap water is preferred, it is also okay.
Some of the ingredients mentioned above can be replaced with other available vegetables in the pantry. For instance, pechay or cabbage can be used instead of kangkong. Also, calamansi (when available) can be used instead of lemon or sinigang mix.
While salmon gives a sweet taste to the sinigang, this main ingredient can also be replaced with other seafood like bangus and shrimp. Just slice the bangus into 3 or 4 pieces for easy cooking.
Leftover sinigang broth can also be stored in the refrigerator. This can then be used as appetizer for another meal. But be sure to remove the green chili before reheating the sinigang so it does not become too spicy.
READ NEXT: How to Earn Extra Income While Working in Qatar