RECIPE: Vegan Filipino Sinigang (Sour Tamarind Soup)
My favorite Filipino dish ever is called Sinigang. It’s a sour soup made from tamarind. It’s jam packed with lots of Asian veggies like daikon radish, taro, and bok choy. Traditionally, this soup has pork, fish in it, or other meats, however veganizing this recipe is SUPER easy because all I’m doing is omitting the meat part. With the amount of veggies in this dish, it’ll still be hearty especially when paired with rice.
INGREDIENTS:
1 Packet of Mamasita’s Sinigang Sa Sampalok seasoning
6 Cups of water
1 Large Onion
2 Cups of Daikon Radish
3 Cups of Cubed Taro
3 Cups of String Beans
2-3 Baby Bok Choy Heads
2 Large Tomatoes (or 3 Roma/Small)
2 Yellow Chili Peppers (or more if desired)
STEPS:
Chop a large onion into small bits. If you prefer them to be bigger, go for. The best part about this recipe is the ability to play with what you put in it.
Peel your Daikon radish and cut them into coins or similar sized shapes. Daikon radishes are sweeter and don’t have a punchy taste like the little red ones. If you can’t find Daikons and want to use the little red guys, do note that there will be an extra pungent flavor.
Onto the taro. Chop the taro into small cubes. Make sure they are the same size so it takes the same amount of time to cook.
You can find cut and packaged taro from Asian super markets such as Seafood City and 99 Ranch, however if they aren’t available in your store, most likely they sell a smaller version of the taro root. It has a rough, brown skin with a whiter flesh, different than the packaged taro with the purple flecks. There is a tiny taste difference between the taro root and the large pre-packaged pieces. While the taste difference is minute, the texture is still the same when cooked.
The next vegetable to be prepped, are the string beans. You can use green beans or snow peas if you can’t find the string beans but definitely try to find some because it makes such a huge difference.
With the tomatoes. Give them a rough chop, nothing fancy.
Wash the Bok Choy and pull them apart into individual leaves. You can leave them whole, or chop the bigger leaves in half so they match the size of the smaller ones.
Now it’s time for the cooking part. Add about two tablespoons of oil into your pot and turn the heat onto medium high. Drop in your onions and sauté them for about two minutes or until fragrant.
Next, add the tomatoes. Mix them around for about a minute.
Add five cups of water into the pot. Turn your heat up to high.
This is when you’ll add the seasoning packet. In traditional recipes, some people will use actual tamarind pods. However I’ve never done that before and it’s an extra step that I don’t really want to do. But by all means, use the real deal if you want.
The seasoning packet I prefer is Mamacitas! Whenever you shop for Sinigang packets be wary, as there are many brands and several include fish and shrimp seasoning. Mamacita’s does not include seafood flavorings so it’s plant-based friendly. Use the entire packet of seasoning but if you like your soup a little more sour like I do, then feel free to add a little extra seasoning.
Add the radish and taro to the Sinigang mixture and wait for the pot to boil
When the Sinigang has come up to a boil, turn the heat back down to medium and add your string beans. Then add the two yellow chili peppers.
Don’t break up the peppers otherwise there will be some spice added to the dish. I personally like to eat these peppers with my individual bowl of Sinigang.
Let the sinigang simmer for about 20 minutes or until the taro and daikon are super soft and fork tender. When they are, drop in the bok choy. Bring the heat down to low and continue to simmer till the bok choy has wilted down and everything is cooked through. Give it about 10-15 minutes.
Give the broth a taste. If it’s too sour for you, add another cup of water to mellow it out. If it’s not sour enough for you, then add more seasoning. If the broth is to your liking, then it’s time to eat!
As your soup sits, the veggies will soak up some liquid so if you come back to your pot later with less soup, then add a little extra water and a tiny bit of seasoning.
Serve the Sinigang as is, or with a bowl of white rice.