Don't Miss
Home / Columnists / Aeron Lancero / Sinigang (Sour Stew)

Sinigang (Sour Stew)

aeron lancero

By: Aeron Lancero

 

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat, and Happy New Year, May 2017 be an even better year for you, your family, friends, business, etc. Keep on thinking positive and whatever you are doing to start your year to be a great one, do not forget to support your fellow FilAms and give thanks to God.

Now this is my 25th column, or the start of my third year of sharing with you through Via Times. The last two years, I started with the resolution aspect of the New Year. Today, it’s all about surviving winter and enjoying good eats. There is also some healthy components to this dish I am going to share, especially the old- school way of making it. What dish do you ask? The very popular “sinigang,” our sour stew. Some can argue that it’s sour soup because it is more like a broth these days, although when it started and even when you look at it today, it is slightly thicker than a broth. Here is an old school recipe first:

Sinigang Recipe
Sinigang Ingredients:
* 3 tomatoes, sliced
* 2 onions, diced
* 5 cloves of garlic, minced
* 100 grams kangkong (river spinach)
* 100 grams string beans
* 2 pieces of large “horse” radishes, sliced
* 3 pieces gabi (taro), peeled
* 2 pieces siling pangsigang (green finger pepper) -optional
* 200 grams tamarind
* 3 tablespoons of pink Himalayan salt
* 1 liter of rice wash or water

As you can see, this is a nice and healthy stew and starts of being vegetarian. For the health-conscious FilAms this is a great stew for us and to share. The very popular protein that is used in sinagang is pork, next is shrimp, then fish. Rarely do you see beef or any other proteins, but it does not mean you cannot do it. With these measurements ¾ kilo or 1 lb of protein will be sufficient. Sinigang Cooking Instructions:

* Boil tamarind in water until the shell shows cracks. Let cool then peal off the shells and with a strainer, pour samplalok (including water) into a bowl. Gently massage the sampalok meat off the seeds, strain again. * In a pot, sauté garlic and onion then add the tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes. * Add protein and Himalayan salt then add the water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes then add the gabi. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the protein is tender. * Add the horse radish and simmer for 10 minutes then add the string beans, kangkong and sili. Let boil for 2 minutes. * Serve piping hot.

Today most of us use the instant Knor packets which definitely hits the flavor profile although it is a processed seasoning which is not the healthiest. Still good, and other items to use is lemon juice or lime juice (freshly squeezed), the measurement is based on your taste. This dish is perfect for the days we are encountering in Illinois these past few days ofminus 0 degrees and it is a comforting dish all together. Always served with rice in the Philippines when I was growing up and now you see more serving it with noodles, bread or more starchy vegetables like taro, radish and every now and then potatoes. The dish is versatile and more premier chefs are showcasing this dish as specials or main stays on their menus.

Sinigang is considered a national dish of the Philippines which is said to be a dish that was an original and not something brought by the few countries that colonized the Philippines.

This is one dish that many FilAms are aware of especially from the older generations. This was also a dish that was served often when you were sick and made you feel all good inside and has a very distinctive flavor that you are able to taste even while you are sick and your taste buds are non-existent.

So my fellow FilAms share this dish with your friends, especially of you are staying in. It’s not hard to cook if you use the instant flavoring packet but even the healthy option of using lemon and lime juices to create that flavor that will make you feel all good inside.

As for restaurants who serve it in Illinois, here is a list: Isla Pilipina, 2501 W. Lawrance Ruby’s Fastfood, 3740 W. Montrose Bay Leaf of the Orient, 3641 W. Irving Park Bacolod Chicken Haus, 6320 N. Lincoln Ave.

filam1 filam2 filam3 filam4

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Scroll To Top