Sinigang na Baboy (Pork Tamarind Sour Soup)

Method

1. Prepare everything first. Cut the pork into 4 to 5 cm pieces and give them a rinse in cold water. Peel the radish and slice it into 1 cm half-moons. Peel the taro and halve it (wear gloves: raw taro can make your hands itch). Cut the long beans into 5 cm lengths, slice the eggplant diagonally 2 cm thick and trim the okra tops. Cut the water spinach stems into 6 cm lengths and keep the leaves separate. Quarter the onion and tomatoes.

2. Put the pork and the cold water in a 20 cm pot and bring to the boil over high heat, about 10 min. As it comes up, skim off the grey foam with a ladle; this keeps the broth clean.

   Add in this stepPork ribs or bone-in pork belly 450 gWater 1,200 ml

   high heat

3. Add the onion, tomatoes and half the fish sauce. Turn down to medium-low heat, set the lid ajar and simmer for 50 min, until a chopstick slides easily into the meat. If the liquid drops below the pork, top it up with a little hot water.

   Add in this stepOnion 1Ripe tomatoes 2Fish sauce (patis) 1 tbsp

   medium-low heat

4. Stir most of the tamarind paste into a ladle of broth until dissolved, then pour it back into the pot. Add the taro and radish and cook over medium heat for 10 min, until the taro is soft when pierced. It is normal for the taro to break up a little and thicken the broth slightly.

   Add in this stepSmall taro (gabi) 2White radish or daikon (labanos) 150 gTamarind paste (concentrate) 1.9 tbsp

   medium heat

5. Add the long beans, eggplant, okra, green chillies and water spinach stems and cook over medium heat for 5 min more. The vegetables are best still bright and with a slight bite, so do not overcook them.

   Add in this stepLong beans (sitaw) or green beans 100 gLong Asian eggplant 1Okra 5Long green chillies (siling haba) 1Water spinach (kangkong) or spinach 48 g

   medium heat

6. Taste the broth and add the rest of the fish sauce. For a sharper sourness add the remaining tamarind, then adjust with salt. Push the water spinach leaves under the broth, set the burner to heat off, cover and leave for 1 min: the leftover heat wilts the leaves while keeping them green.

   Add in this stepFish sauce (patis) 1 tbspTamarind paste (concentrate) 0.6 tbspSalt to tasteWater spinach (kangkong) or spinach 72 g

   heat off

7. Ladle into bowls while piping hot and serve with rice. Filipinos often dip the pork in a little dish of fish sauce with a crushed chilli.

   Add in this stepHot steamed rice to taste