Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Sinigang na Baboy
The Philippines’ beloved sour soup: pork simmered tender in a clear tamarind broth, unapologetically tart, loaded with vegetables added in stages.
Filipino · easy · serves 6
prep 20 min · cook 75 min
~1968 cal · 77g protein · 348g carbs · 26g fat · 12g fiber · 7g sugars · 8g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Sinigang is the sour soul of Filipino cooking, and sinigang na baboy, the pork version, is its most beloved form. Where neighbouring Southeast Asian sour soups balance the tartness with heat or sweetness, sinigang is unapologetically sour, and that forward, mouth-puckering tang is the whole point. The name comes from the Tagalog sigang, to stew, so sinigang is really a method more than a single dish: the protein can just as easily be beef, shrimp, or fish.
The souring agent decides everything. Young green (sampaloc) is the classic, simmered and pressed for a clean, sharp broth, though paste or an instant mix stand in on busy nights. Pork belly is the favourite cut because its fat melts into the broth and gives the clear soup its body, balancing the acidity.
The vegetables go in by batch so each keeps its bite: radish and eggplant first, then string beans and long green chillies, and finally water spinach (kangkong) wilted in the residual heat. It is served piping hot with a bowl of steamed rice and a saucer of on the side, a one-pot meal that means home to Filipino families everywhere.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut- and egg-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
2 lbs pork belly, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tbsp, plus more to serve (patis)
1 lb young pods (or 3 tbsp paste), the souring agent; boil and press fresh pods, or stir paste straight in
10 cups water (or rice-rinsing water)
2 large tomatoes, quartered
1 large onion, quartered
1 medium daikon radish (labanos), sliced
2 small eggplant, sliced on the bias
1 bunch string beans (sitaw), in 2-inch lengths
2 long green chillies (siling pansigang)
1 bunch water spinach (kangkong), leaves and tender stems
6 cups steamed rice, to serve
Instructions
1
If using fresh tamarind, simmer the pods in 2 cups of the water for about 40 minutes, then press through a sieve and keep the sour liquid, discarding the solids. With paste, skip straight ahead.
✎ Chef’s note
Fresh young tamarind gives the cleanest, sharpest sour; paste or an instant mix is the weeknight shortcut and still authentic.
2
Put the pork, onion, half the tomatoes, and the water plus the tamarind liquid in a large pot. Bring to a boil and skim off the scum that rises in the first 15 minutes for a clear broth.
✎ Chef’s note
Skimming early is what separates a clear sinigang from a cloudy one.
3
Cover and simmer gently until the pork is fork-tender, 45 to 60 minutes, then stir in the fish sauce.
4
Add the radish and eggplant and cook 5 minutes, then the string beans, remaining tomatoes, and green chillies for 3 minutes more, until just tender.
5
Add the kangkong stems, then the leaves, and turn off the heat so the residual warmth wilts them. Taste, adjust with more tamarind or fish sauce, and serve piping hot with rice and a saucer of fish sauce.
Filipino household classic.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Central Luzon. Sisig has a clearer trail. The Kapampangan word manyisig, recorded in Bergano's dictionary, meant a sour salad; the modern chopped-pork-face version grew out of cheap pig heads from the Clark Air Base commissaries in Angeles City, and Lucia Cunanan is credited with putting it on a sizzling plate. The tourism department calls Pampanga the country's culinary capital.
🗺️
Philippines. Filipino food chases a signature sour-salty-sweet balance, from vinegar-braised adobo to sinigang's tamarind broth and lechon roast pork. A Malay base layered with Spanish, Chinese, and American influence makes it one of Asia's most distinctive tables.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Philippines
Chicken AdoboChicken braised glossy in vinegar, soy, garlic, and black pepper, the Philippines’ definitive dish.
ChamporadoA sweet Filipino chocolate rice porridge, traditionally eaten with salty dried fish on the side.
Pancit BihonThin rice noodles stir-fried with chicken, shrimp, and vegetables in a savory soy sauce, a Filipino celebration staple.
Browse all Philippines recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Sinigang na Baboy?
The Philippines’ beloved sour soup: pork simmered tender in a clear tamarind broth, unapologetically tart, loaded with vegetables added in stages.
Where does Sinigang na Baboy come from?
Sinigang na Baboy is a Filipino dish from Central Luzon, Philippines.
Can Sinigang na Baboy be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Sinigang na Baboy recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Sinigang na Baboy safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Sinigang na Baboy take to make?
About 95 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 75 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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