Sinigang na Baboy – Filipino pork soup

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg pork ribs
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 1 radish(s), approx. 16 cm
• 1 eggplant(s)
• 2 chili peppers
• 1 bunch of beans (sitaw) or 250 g green beans
• 50 g tamarind paste
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 6 taro tubers (gabi) or potatoes
• 6 okra
• 1 bunch of pak choi
• salt and pepper
• Water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

A few small tips first. Most of the unknown ingredients are available in a well-stocked Asian market. Sitaw can easily be replaced with regular fresh green beans, as they are practically the same. Asian beans are just a bit longer. Gabi is a tuber that I would compare most closely to a potato. If you don’t have gabi, you can also use potatoes. The gabi adds filling and starch to the soup. It is relatively tasteless, but has significantly more starch than potatoes. Okra should be found in the fresh produce section of any Asian supermarket. You can’t replace it with anything from the regular vegetable section. Pak choy is now regularly available in supermarkets. Tamarind paste is a very sour paste (essential for the soup). Preparation: Cut the pork into cubes that fit on a spoon. Quarter the tomatoes. Peel and quarter the onions. Peel the gabi and cut into bite-sized pieces. Peel the radish and cut into bite-sized pieces. Halve and deseed the chilies. Wash the sitaw and cut into approximately 6 cm long pieces. Wash the eggplant and cut into bite-sized pieces. Wash the okra, trim the ends, and halve them. Separate the pak choi into individual leaves. Preparation: Place the pork in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, covered with water. Remove any foam that forms on the surface. I simply use a small sieve lined with a kitchen towel, which I drag through the water. When the foam is gone and the water is clear, add the tomatoes, onions, and fish sauce. Let everything simmer over low heat for about 1-1.5 hours. Add more water if necessary to ensure everything in the pot is covered. When adding the following ingredients, always make sure there is enough water in the pot to cover all ingredients. Add more if necessary. When the meat is tender, add the gabi and simmer for another 4-6 minutes. Then add the chili and radish and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Now add the sitaw, and after another 2 minutes, add the eggplant and okra to the pot. Now add a generous amount of tamarind paste to the soup. The goal is to give the soup a nice sour flavor. It’s a bit like vinegar, but less aggressive. Just adjust to your taste, but it should have a good acidity. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, add the bok choy and serve hot. Note: The soup can also be frozen without any problems.