Southeast Asia

Sinigang na Baboy: The Philippines' Beloved Tamarind Sour Soup

Name: Sinigang na Baboy: The Philippines' Beloved Tamarind Sour Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 600 g Pork spare ribs; 3 tbsp Tamarind paste; 3, cut into wedges Tomatoes; 1, cut into wedges Onion; 200 g, cut into 1 cm half-moons Daikon radish; 2, cut into chunks Eggplants; 100 g, cut into 5 cm lengths Green beans; 1 bunch (200 g) Water spinach (kangkong); 2 Long green chiles (siling haba); 2 tbsp Fish sauce (nam pla); 1 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Black pepper; 1.5 L Water

A complete recipe for sinigang, the Philippines' national comfort soup of pork and vegetables simmered in tamarind-soured broth. How to adjust the sourness, the order for adding vegetables, substitutes, shrimp, fish, guava and miso versions, and the food culture behind it.

Published: October 24, 2026Total: 1 hr 10 minLevel: Beginner

Cooking flow

Cooking steps

STEP 11 / 6

Prepare the pork

10 min

Rinsing and preparing pork spare ribs — Preparing the pork spare ribs. Bone-in meat releases collagen and savory flavor into the soup

Rinse the pork spare ribs under running water. Put 1.5 L of water in a pot over the heat. When it boils, add the pork. Scum appears right away; skim it carefully for the first 3 minutes. This step gives you a clear soup without off-flavors.

Why bone-in meat matters

Much of sinigang's savory depth comes from the bones, so bone-in spare ribs are best. You can make it with boneless pork belly, but the depth of flavor changes. If using boneless meat, add 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder.

STEP 22 / 6

Prepare the tamarind paste

5 min

Dissolving tamarind paste in lukewarm water — Dissolve the tamarind paste in lukewarm water. Lumps make the sourness uneven, so mix thoroughly

Dissolve 3 tbsp tamarind paste in 100 ml lukewarm water. Mix well so no lumps remain. If you use fresh tamarind, remove the pulp from the shells, soak it in lukewarm water for 10 minutes, and knead it with your fingers to dissolve the pulp. Strain out the seeds and fibers before using.

STEP 33 / 6

Simmer the pork

25 min

Pork and tomatoes simmering in a pot — Simmering the pork and tomatoes. The tomatoes break down and add sourness and savory depth to the soup. Keep skimming carefully

Once you've finished skimming, add the tomato wedges and onion. Simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes, until the tomatoes have completely broken down. It's done when chopsticks slide easily into the pork and a fork goes in without resistance. It's normal for the soup to turn cloudy; it's a sign that collagen is dissolving from the bones.

The role of the tomatoes

In sinigang, tomatoes are a "seasoning," not a "filling." Ideally they break down completely and melt into the soup. Cut the tomatoes large, and once they soften, mash them with a wooden spoon. The savory depth of the tomatoes becomes the base of the soup.

STEP 44 / 6

Add the root vegetables and the sourness

15 min

Adding daikon, eggplant and other root vegetables to the pot — When to add the daikon and eggplant. The basic rule of sinigang is to add vegetables starting with the slowest-cooking ones

Add the daikon half-moons and eggplant chunks to the pot. Add the dissolved tamarind paste and 2 tbsp fish sauce. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes (15 minutes including tasting and adjusting). The daikon is ready when a bamboo skewer slides in easily.

Taste it at this point. If it isn't sour enough, add more tamarind paste; if it isn't salty enough, add more fish sauce. In sinigang, sourness is the star and saltiness plays support. At first it's fine if it seems almost too sour. Eaten with rice, it becomes just right.

STEP 55 / 6

Add the leafy greens and finish

5 min

Adding water spinach and green chiles to the pot — Add the water spinach and green chiles last. Adding the stems and leaves at different times lets you enjoy two textures

Add the green beans and cook 2 minutes. Add the water spinach stems and cook 1 minute. Finally, add the water spinach leaves and the green chiles. Cover for 1 minute, then turn off the heat. Residual heat is enough for the water spinach. The point is to keep its crisp texture.

If you don't have water spinach (kangkong)

Kangkong can be hard to find in regular supermarkets. Spinach is the best substitute; komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) also works. Spinach cooks very quickly, though, so add it at the very last moment; 10 seconds is enough. Filipino families also sometimes use moringa leaves (malunggay) or bok choy when kangkong is out of season.

STEP 66 / 6

Serve

2 min

STEP 6

In a deep soup bowl, place the pork in the center, the softened daikon and eggplant around it, and the water spinach on top. Pour in hot soup until the ingredients are about half covered, and set the green chiles on top to release their aroma. Serve white rice on a separate plate. The Filipino way is to scoop up the clear, sour soup with a spoon and pour it over the rice a little at a time as you eat.

0 / 0

Ingredients

1 / 2

Main ingredients

Ingredient	Amount	Substitutes & notes
Pork spare ribs	600 g	500 g pork belly in one piece also works. Bone-in meat is the key to flavor
Tamarind paste	3 tbsp	3 umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums) + 2 tbsp lemon juice can substitute
Tomatoes	3, cut into wedges	The base for sourness and savory depth
Onion	1, cut into wedges	—
Daikon radish	200 g, cut into 1 cm half-moons	—
Eggplants	2, cut into chunks	—
Green beans	100 g, cut into 5 cm lengths	—
Water spinach (kangkong)	1 bunch (200 g)	Spinach can substitute
Long green chiles (siling haba)	2	Long, slender green chiles with moderate heat, much milder than the small siling labuyo. 3 shishito peppers can substitute

Finding tamarind paste

Asian grocers, especially Thai and Filipino ones, sell Thai tamarind paste (also labeled tamarind concentrate); search for "tamarind paste" online as well. If you can't find it, 3 umeboshi (pitted and chopped) + 2 tbsp lemon juice reproduces the sourness. The character of the sourness is different, but it works.

2 / 2

Seasonings

Ingredient	Amount	Substitutes & notes
Fish sauce (nam pla)	2 tbsp	Patis (Filipino fish sauce) is best. Thai fish sauce is perfectly fine if you don't have it
Salt	1 tsp	Adjust as you taste
Black pepper	1/2 tsp	—
Water	1.5 L	—

0 / 0

The "sour soup" Filipinos love most

What comes to mind when you think of Filipino food? Adobo (in Japanese), perhaps. Adobo is certainly famous around the world. But ask Filipinos what their favorite dish is, and many will answer: sinigang.

In 2021, the global food culture site TasteAtlas ranked sinigang first as the "best soup in the world." The whole country celebrated. Outside the Philippines, though, it is still little known. Hear "sour soup," and most people probably think of tom yum. Sinigang tastes completely different.

Sinigang is a soup of pork and vegetables simmered with the sourness of tamarind. It isn't spicy, and herbs are kept to a minimum. It is an honest soup that relies on nothing but sourness and savory depth. Take a sip, and the bright sourness of tamarind fills your mouth. Next comes the sweetness of pork fat, then the gentle depth of the vegetables. Simple, yet deep. This is a taste loved across the islands of the Philippines.

What is sinigang?

The name is said to come from the Tagalog word "sigang" (to stew). Tamarind is the most common souring agent, but different regions use guava, calamansi, unripe mango, kamias and other sour ingredients. The meat varies too: pork, shrimp, fish or beef. It is the origin of "sourness" in Filipino cooking.

Search for "sinigang recipe" in English and you'll find an enormous number of recipes; Filipino food bloggers compete to publish authentic versions. This article draws on those English-language sources and shows how to make an authentic sinigang with ingredients from a regular supermarket. Try this Southeast Asian classic, which stands alongside Thai som tam (in Japanese) and Vietnamese bánh xèo (in Japanese).

Ingredients (serves 4)

About sinigang mix

Filipino grocery stores and online retailers sell "Knorr Sinigang Mix." It makes the flavor easy to get right. However, it contains flavor enhancers and artificial acidulants, so if you want an authentic taste, we recommend starting from tamarind paste. If you use sinigang mix, you don't need the tamarind paste or fish sauce.

Tamarind pods. Cracking the brown shell reveals the sour pulp — Tamarind pods. This sour pulp is the core of sinigang's flavor. In the Philippines it is called sampalok and is also eaten as a children's snack

Plated sinigang served with white rice — Finished sinigang na baboy. Eating it with white rice is the Filipino way. Serve patis (fish sauce) in a small dish to add saltiness to taste

Cooking tips

The golden ratio of sourness

Sinigang should be sour enough to make you wince a little at the first sip. Sinigang that isn't sour enough feels lacking. Rice softens the sourness, so the ideal is soup that is a little too sour on its own.

The order for adding vegetables

Add sinigang's vegetables in order of how long they take to cook: daikon and eggplant (10 minutes), green beans (2 minutes), water spinach stems (1 minute), water spinach leaves (1 minute). These time gaps matter. Add everything at once and the daikon stays hard while the water spinach turns to mush. Like Thai pad thai (in Japanese), this is a dish where "the order of cooking" decides the flavor.

Second-day sinigang

Filipino families often say "sinigang is best the next day." The sourness mellows and loses its sharp edges, and the pork becomes even more tender. Water spinach discolors, though, so store the portion for the next day without it and add fresh water spinach when reheating. It keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator.

Variations

Shrimp sinigang (sinigang na hipon)

Use 8–10 head-on, shell-on shrimp instead of pork. It is a much-loved version in the Philippines' coastal areas. Shrimp turns tough if overcooked, so add it last, once all the vegetables are cooked. It's done in 3 minutes. The shells release the shrimp's flavor into the soup. Like Lao khao piak sen (in Japanese), it is a dish for enjoying the delicate savory depth of the broth.

Fish sinigang (sinigang na isda)

Use 400 g of milkfish (bangus) or tilapia fillets. Cod fillets are the best substitute. Fish falls apart easily, so add it in the last 5 minutes. It is an everyday version in many Filipino homes.

Guava sinigang (sinigang sa bayabas)

Use 4 guavas (halved) instead of tamarind. Guava's sweet-sour flavor goes surprisingly well with pork. 200 ml of 100% guava juice can substitute. The sourness is gentler than tamarind and the result is fruitier.

Miso sinigang (sinigang sa miso)

There is also a variation of sinigang with miso added, called "sinigang sa miso." Add 2 tbsp white miso together with the tamarind paste. The sourness blends with the richness of miso into a flavor that feels very familiar to anyone who knows Japanese food.

Sinigang's souring ingredients: tamarind, guava, calamansi and more — Sinigang's souring agent varies by region: tamarind, guava, unripe mango, calamansi and more, reflecting the Philippines' rich fruit culture

The background of the dish

The Philippines, a "nation of sourness"

If you had to describe Filipino food in one phrase, it would be "a cuisine of sourness": the vinegar in adobo, the tamarind in sinigang, the calamansi in kinilaw. Filipino cooking always has sourness.

Behind this culture of sourness is the climate. The Philippines is tropical, with an average annual temperature of 27°C (81°F). In hot, humid conditions food spoils easily, and sourness was a natural preservative. In the days before refrigerators, the know-how of preserving food with vinegar and tamarind developed.

Sinigang is the soup that best represents this culture of sourness.

The journey of tamarind

Tamarind, the star of sinigang's sourness, is thought to be native to tropical Africa. It spread long ago to India and Southeast Asia, where it has been grown ever since. In Filipino it is called "sampalok."

Tamarind isn't sinigang's only souring agent. Guava, calamansi, unripe mango and kamias (bilimbi) are used too, chosen by region, season and household. Among them, tamarind is the most common.

A Filipino family table centered on sinigang — A Filipino family table. Around the sinigang are rice, grilled fish, pancit (stir-fried noodles) and more. Filipino meals are always shared with family

The TasteAtlas "best soup in the world" stir

The food-rating site TasteAtlas named sinigang the best soup in the world in the soup category of its "TasteAtlas Awards 2021." The Philippine media covered it widely.

Some reports called the winner "sinigang," others "sinigang na baboy" (pork sinigang), a fitting twist for a dish whose name changes with its filling and souring agent.

Sinigang and Filipino identity

For Filipinos living abroad, sinigang is "the taste of home." Filipino households overseas often make it the easy way, with tamarind soup base mix.

As with Cameroonian ndolé (in Japanese) and Congolese moambe (in Japanese), food is closely tied to national identity.

Nutrition (per serving, of 4)

A well-balanced, vegetable-packed soup

Among Southeast Asian soups, sinigang has a particularly high proportion of vegetables. With 4 or more kinds, daikon, eggplant, green beans and water spinach, it provides 6 g of fiber.

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	420 kcal
Protein	32 g
Fat	18 g
Carbohydrates	35 g
Fiber	6 g
Sodium	650 mg

The fat from the pork spare ribs dissolves into the soup as it simmers; if that concerns you, refrigerate the soup and remove the fat that solidifies on top. Tamarind contains B vitamins, iron and potassium, and also helps replenish electrolytes in hot weather.

Dishes to make with it

Adobo (in Japanese): continue with more dishes from the same country's table.
Bicol express (in Japanese): continue with more dishes from the same country's table.
Chicken inasal (in Japanese): continue with more dishes from the same country's table.
Pochero: compare sour sinigang with a stew rounded out with bananas and beans.
Kutsinta: add a chewy rice cake after the meal for a taste of the sweet snacks served in Filipino homes.
Sop saudara (in Japanese): reuse ingredients and aromas from the same region.

Frequently asked questions

FAQ: five common questions

Here are the questions we get most from people making sinigang for the first time, from adjusting the sourness to storage.

Q1. What should I do if the tamarind paste makes it too sour?

Add sugar 1 tsp at a time to adjust. Filipino families also commonly balance soup that's too sour with sugar. Adding 100 ml of water to dilute the soup also works. If, on the other hand, it isn't sour enough, add 1 tbsp tamarind paste or 1 tbsp lemon juice.

Q2. Can I change the ingredients freely?

Yes. As long as you keep the basic framework of a "sour soup," the ingredients are up to you. Filipino families often make it with whatever is left in the fridge: okra, long eggplant, sweet potato leaves, moringa, anything goes. Like Malaysian laksa (in Japanese), part of sinigang's charm is that every family's version tastes different.

Q3. Besides spare ribs, which cuts of pork do you recommend?

Skin-on pork belly in one piece is the next best choice; its fat adds richness to the soup. Pork shoulder also works. For leaner cuts, extend the simmering time by 5 minutes. In the Philippines, pork ears or tails are sometimes added; they are rich in collagen and give the soup body.

Q4. Can children eat sinigang?

Yes. The green chiles (siling haba) are simmered whole, so they don't make the soup very hot, but leaving them out for children is the safe choice. If the sourness is a concern, halve the tamarind paste and let adults add more at the table.

Q5. What drinks go well with sinigang?

In the Philippines, San Miguel beer is the classic. Its refreshing crispness pairs beautifully with the sour soup. For a non-alcoholic option, calamansi juice is best. A dry highball or cold green tea also brings out sinigang's sourness.

Explore more Southeast Asian soups

If sinigang has caught your interest, try other Southeast Asian soups too. The balance of sourness, heat and savory depth differs from region to region, opening up a deep world.

Adobo (in Japanese): the Philippines' other national dish, meat braised in vinegar and soy sauce, and sinigang's partner at the top
Laksa (in Japanese): Malaysia's spicy noodle soup, rich with a coconut-milk base
Mohinga: Myanmar's national dish, a breakfast soup made with catfish broth
Khao piak sen (in Japanese): Laos's rice noodle soup, loved for its gentle flavor

Sources

Recipes and techniques

Panlasang Pinoy. (2024). "Sinigang na Baboy (Pork Sinigang)." https://panlasangpinoy.com/pork-sinigang-na-baboy/ — a classic recipe from a popular Filipino recipe site
Kawaling Pinoy. (2023). "Sinigang na Baboy: The Ultimate Guide." https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/sinigang-na-baboy/ — a guide with detail on adding the vegetables and adjusting the sourness

Culture and history

Fernandez, D. G. (1994). Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture. Anvil Publishing. — a classic of Philippine food culture studies
ABS-CBN. (2022). "'Sinigang' is world's best soup in TasteAtlas Awards 2021." https://abs-cbn.com/life/01/29/22/sinigang-is-worlds-best-soup-in-tasteatlas-awards — coverage of the TasteAtlas Awards 2021 soup category (checked October 22, 2026)
Wikipedia. "Siling haba." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siling_haba — the green chile for sinigang (siling pangsigang) and its heat (checked October 22, 2026)