My Version of Sinigang na Porky

(photos to follow...)
Sinigang (Tamarind based Stew/Soup) is one of the pillars of Filipino cuisine and yet it is one of the simplest and easiest recipes in the Filipino menu. It's hard to go wrong when cooking this. But mishaps are not totally absent. Frequent mistakes stem from:

1. Meat is still not tender
2. Vegetables too soggy (although some people want that... i don't understand why hahaha)
3. Too salty
4. Too sour
5. Too little soup (in Filipino, a dishwhen called "Sigang" implies it has a lot of soup)

I said one of the easiest. My opinion of course. Why? Because you just have to throw everything in a pot. Wait. Check. Throw something in again, wait, then it's done. Nice :-) especially for multitasking mothers/house-bands.

Anyway...

What do we need?

Meat. I'm using pork but a lot of other things can be turned into a Sinigang. Beef, Shrimp, and Fish.

River Spinach (Kangkong), String Beans (Sitaw), Tomatoes, Green Pepper (Siling Pansigang), Okra (I don't like Okra, so no Okra for me), and Onion/s (Native ones are more tasty).

Taro (Gabi) - my favorite ingredient. I love to overcook it to the point it makes the Sinigang very turbid. Yum yum yum... I squish it with the steamed rice so it looks like mashed baby food hahahaha. I'm getting hungry.

Tamarind. or Tamarind flavor mix.

Wash and peel things that needed to be peeled. Cut the string beans into 1 1/2 inch sticks. Don't throw the stems of the River spinach, I like them so I place them separately with the leaves. I am talking about the real stem not the stem of the leaf ok? I'm weird I know, just like what the rabbit eats, I like them...

Slice the tomatoes whatever way you like, they'll just end up unrecognizable. Quarter the onion. Slice the okra into 1/2 inch sticks.

Tips : When using tamarind, you don't peel them ok? Just wash them well. When using kamias, just wash well too. When using Bayabas, was well and remove the ugly things at the ends (same as kamias too).

Get a thick pot or if you have big enough earthenware that would really be great. When my mom cooks Sinigang, Nilaga, or her famous Beef Pares, she cooks it on charcoal. It has an effect, the slow even heat of the charcoal coupled that it adds a sort of smoky flavor is really superb, and couple that with using earthenware *droools yum yum really. But I use a big thick pot because I want to put a lot of sabaw (soup).

Oh before I forget, people also put Labanos (radish). More often than not, it is ignored by people because it is sort of bitter, I sort of have a love-hate relationship with it and did not use it. I only put all the ingredients when I'm cooking it for a guest, or party but for myself I only put what I want which is right, right?

So put your pork in the pot, onions, tomatoes, and tamarind (you don't see tamarind here, I used artifical flavoring). Put water and make sure everything is submerged. Now a secret ingredient (yum yum)... put Patis (fish sauce) hahaha. Some don't do this anymore (health issues) but the flavor of the dish after is oh......

Boil. Boil. Boil. Check from time to time it may spill over. Some like to remove the "dirty" fat that floats. When no one's looking I don't remove it LOL. That's the LOVE! When the tamarind is cooked(soft/really soft), remove them and keep them first. So when your meat is nearly soft, put in the taro. I usually put it in way earlier because I want it to be really squishy. When both the meat and taro are cooked, mash the tamarind in a little of the broth and put the extract in the soup, use a strainer and bathe the seeds and the rind with broth from the pot until you feel all the flavor has dropped in. Mix and try tasting if the sourness is just right. Remember that the heat tends to numb the flavors so if anything you are cooking tastes just right, it's alright don't add any more!!!

After the tamarind flavoring, put in the radish, okra and the string beans, after a few mintues then put salt to taste, mix, then turn it off and put the veggies in mix quickly and cover. The remaining heat will cook the River Spinach leaves. You don't want them super soggy.

When using Kamias or Bayabas (Guava), after getting them out when they're soft, mash them and return everything in, no filtering required.

When using fish (I love Sinigang na Bangus!), note that they cook fast so be very very careful.

How do I know when my fish is cooked? -- look at their eyes. If they're opaque white. They're done.

Whew... this is longer than I expected and took two efforts to type. LOL.

My Version of Chicken Curry

Today, I cooked again after a loooong time...Ingredients for the my version of chicken curry: Potatoes, Tomatoes, Garlic, Onion, Ginger, Coconut Milk, Tomato Sauce, Oil, Salt, and Pepper...
Of course... the most important ingredient, the CURRY powder!
Chicken. I prefer meaty parts. I don't like to wrestle with my food. I just want to taste it mmm mmm...
Wash the things that needs washing. Peel everything that needs to be peeled. Crush and chop the garlic. Chop the onion and tomatoes. Slice the ginger into thin pieces. I put a lot of tomatoes because I love 'em. I don't saute without tomatoes and anyway it adds to the flavor in this particular recipe. Don't throw away the tomato extract "katas."
Wash, peel, eye and chop the potatoes. Submerge them in water while you are doing other stuff so they won't blacken. I prefer to chop them into around an inch X half-an-inch big so that they'll cook faster.
Ok. Get a Kawali (Skillet). Canola oil (or whatever you want).
Saute the garlic and onions. What goes in first? Really doesn't matter. Skill dependent. You might burn the onions if you wait too long before putting in the onions. Know thyself. The size of garlic and onions? Depends on you too. If you don't want to accidentally bite garlic or onion pieces, chop(mince) them into microscopic pieces. Again, cooking is an art. Recipes are guides.

Free tip: How do you remove garlic smell from your fingers?? rub your fingers and nails into a stainless steel smooth surface under the faucet (not the sharp edge LOL). It will magically remove the smell. Trust me.
Put in the ginger.
Then tomatoes. Don't overcook them...
I prefer to put in the potatoes first. Why? The chicken cooks faster compared to them so toss them around a bit before...
putting in the chicken. Mix a little until the chicken whitens a little.
Turn down the stove. Slow medium to low heat. Cover it. You may put a little little amount of water but you don't need to actually. The water in the chicken and potatoes will come out and that'll cook them both. Thus, the need for the cover, so the moisture won't evaporate. To contain the heat inside.

Check from time to time if they are soft. Check the potatoes. If the potatoes are cooked, the chicken is cooked too. Unless you have very big pieces of chicken in which case you MUST check the chicken too.
If you feel they are almost almost cooked. Remove the cover and LET the water evaporate but don't let it dry, leave a little amount of water. If too much water came out you may increase the heat temporarily to hasten evaporation but don't forget to mix, the chicken might get burned.
Now put in the coconut milk.

Free Tip: You can now buy pressed coconut milk from the wet market, just ask. You don't have to squeeze it yourself anymore, it is a little more expensive but is worth it, and it is PURE coconut milk, they don't add water. A machine squeezes the juice out of the coconut meat. You can also buy packed coconut milk (with a little preservative) in the groceries. This is what I used today. I didn't want to go to the market.
Let it boil then put in the tomato sauce. Amount? I don't measure sorry... This will make the recipe your own LOL.
Right after putting the tomato sauce, put in curry powder. Again, I can't say how much curry powder you should put. It will depend on how you want your curry to taste. Really spicy. Little kick. Horse kick. Ticklish? I think this time I used a tablespoonful of curry and little more for luck.

Salt and pepper to your liking. I like a LOT of pepper. I use freshly crushed peppercorn. Always gives more flavor. Mix. Let boil. Taste. Serve.

Keeping Tips: Don't leave out when it's hot. If it has coconut milk it will spoil easily. I used to cook a lot of this and then divide it before freezing so I can have it whenever I want. You can keep it frozen until a month or so (not sure here).

Do you want me to teach you to cook anything? I hope I know how to though HAHAHA. Carienderia food is my specialty LOL...