

Yields:
8 serving(s)
Prep Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs
Sinigang is classic one-pot Filipino stew, perfect for weeknight meals or weekend family dinners. Sinigang has a trademark sour-yet-savory taste, which comes from tamarind, a tree fruit that has a texture similar to dates. Though tamarind can be bought in its pods, you'll often find it in a paste (which you'll use here) that is made from the fruit's sticky pods. Keep a slab of tamarind paste or jar of tamarind concentrate in your fridge for impromptu batches of sinigang or for a delicious tamarind dipping sauce to serve with summer rolls.
Sinigang means "stewed dish" in Tagalog, a broad term that encompasses many variations. This rendition features pork, tamarind, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and shishito peppers. Other traditional vegetables like okra, long beans, or green beans can be added or substituted for some of the other veggies. If you're sensitive to heat, either scrape the seeds out of the chiles before cooking, or skip them entirely and serve sliced chiles for people to add to taste.
Ground dried shiitake mushrooms are a secret umami-booster in this delicious stew. If you don't have a food processor, use a mortar and pestle.
Looking for other easy stews? Try our best-ever beef stew, shrimp stew, or chicken stew. Vegetarian? No problem. Vegan French onion stew and chickpea stew are both meat-free.
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Ingredients
- 3/4 oz.
dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp.
vegetable oil
- 1 3/4 lb.
boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1" cubes
Kosher salt
- 1
medium daikon radish (about 8 oz.), peeled and sliced 1/4" thick, plus more thinly sliced for serving
- 1
bunch of scallions, light green parts cut into 2" pieces, dark green parts thinly sliced
- 12
cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 2
small finger chiles (or other hot chiles), stems removed
- 5 cups
water
- 1/2 cup
tamarind concentrate (such as Kalustyan’s)
- 2
bay leaves
- 1
medium eggplant (about 1 lb.), cut into 1" cubes
- 1 1/2 cups
cherry tomatoes (about 8 oz. total)
- 14
shishito peppers (about 5 oz. total)
Cooked white rice, for serving
Directions
- Step 1In a food processor, pulse dried mushrooms until finely ground; set aside.
- Step 2In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Season pork with 1 tbsp. salt. Working in batches, add pork to pot in an even layer and cook, turning occasionally, until just beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
- Step 3Discard all but 2 tbsp. fat from pot. Add radish, light green scallion parts, garlic, chiles, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Step 4Return pork along with any accumulated juices to pot. Stir in water, tamarind, bay leaves, and reserved mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until liquid is thickened slightly and pork is almost tender, 45 to 55 minutes.
- Step 5Stir in eggplant, tomatoes, and shishito peppers. Partially cover and continue to simmer until vegetables are very soft and pork falls apart when broken up with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes more.
- Step 6Remove from heat; season with salt. Discard bay leaves. Serve stew over rice. Top with sliced radishes and dark green scallion parts.
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