Dish of Pork & Vegies in Sour Broth
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Pork & Vegies in Sour Broth


Philippines   -   Sinigang na Baboy

Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
6 w/rice
***
2 hrs
Yes
Don't let the "sour" put you off, it's very mildly sour. Sinigang na Baboy is a very popular dish in the Philippines, made with countless minor variations, mostly in selection of vegetables (see Comments).

1
2-1/2
1-1/2
6
8
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1
6
6
1
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6
1/2
1

#
oz
#
oz
oz
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#
oz
oz

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c
T
T

Pork (1)
Tamarind (2)
Tomatoes, ripe
Onion
Greens (3)
-- Vegie mix
Taro Root (4)
Long Beans (5)
Daikon Radish (6)
Chili Serrano
-------------
Water
Salt
Fish Sauce (7)

Much of the prep time is peeling taro, so Yam or Potatoes would be much quicker.

Prep   -   (1 hr)
  1. Trim PORK of any excess fat and cut into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes.
  2. Prepare TAMARIND as needed (see Note-2).
  3. Scald TOMATOES 1 minute in boiling water, quench in cold water, peel and cut into about 3/4 inch cubes.
  4. Quarter ONION lengthwise and slice thin crosswise.
  5. Prepare GREENS as appropriate, keeping stems separate if they will take much longer to cook than the leafy part.
  6. Peel TARO ROOTS and cut into about 3/4 inch chunks.
  7. Cut LONG BEANS into about 2 inch lengths. Add to Taro.
  8. Slice DAIKON 1/2 inch thick and cut into chunks similar to the other ingredients. Add to Taro.
  9. Split CHILI lengthwise. Add to Taro.
Run   -   (1 hr)
  1. Place Pork in a 4 quart sauce pan with water to cover well. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, then pour out into a clean sink. Rinse away all crud and return to the cleaned pan.
  2. Add 6 cups Water to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in Onion, Tomatoes, Tamarind and Salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered until the pork is nearly tender, about 40 min.
  3. If your pork has produced too much fat, strain out the solids and remove the fat using your gravy separator. Return liquid and solids to the pan.
  4. Stir in Taro Root mix. Bring up to a simmer, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  5. Stir in Stems (if separate from the greens). Bring back to a boil and simmer about 3 minutes.
  6. Stir in Leaves and Fish Sauce. Bring back to a boil and simmer another 3 minutes or until tender.
  7. Serve hot accompanie by steamed Jasmine rice - see Note-9.
NOTES:
  1. Pork

      This recipe uses boneless pork to be easiest to serve at buffet. Some recipes call for Spare Ribs, others use boneless Country Style Ribs, and some call for a mix of some form of pork combined with Pork Belly. If you use a bone-in cut, increase weight to 1-1/2 pounds.
  2. Tamarind:

      Weight is for block form. Soak 1/2 hour or more in 1-1/2 cups hot water. After straining you will have about 1 cup of liquid. This amount is roughly equivalent to 5 T of jarred concentrate. For details see our Tamarind page.
  3. Greens:

      Most popular are Mustard Greens (Small Gai Choy) and Water Spinach (Ong Choy, Kangkong), but other Asian greens will also work. For details see our Cabbage, Mustard, Turnip and Radish Greens page and our Water Spinach page.
  4. Taro Root:

      These are widely available in North America. Use the regular small ones for this recipe. Yams (real ones) also work well. Waxy potatoes like White Rose can be used as a substitute, but cooking time will be longer and the taste and texture will be different. For details see our Taro / Colocasia page.
  5. Long Beans:

      These are now widely available in North America, and any market serving a Southeast Asian community should have them. Green Beans are an imperfect substitute because their flavor is different and they don't stand up to cooking as well. For details see our Long Beans page.
  6. Daikon Radish:

    >   For cooking, select smallish Daikons. Large ones will be fibrous, not noticed raw, but annoying when cooked.
  7. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.
  8. Comments:

      Philippine or Chinese eggplant is a very common vegetable in this stew, sometimes replacing the Daikon, other times replacing the Taro, or whatever. Yams (real ones, purple or white, not those orange things) may replace the Taro. A modest amount of red Bell Pepper is often added, and sometimes a chili, or often not.
  9. Serving

      In Asia, a liquidy stew like this would be spooned over rice. I much prefer a full bowl of the stew and add a generous scoop of rice into it, a little off to the side to be mixed in as I please.
  10. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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