Sinigang is a popular Filipino sour soup and there are different ways to make it. The most popular ingredient is the tamarind or sampaloc but you can amp up the sourness by adding or using tomatoes, green mangoes, guava, or even the regional fruit, the batuan or batwan.
The other most popular version is usually made with pork. There are other meats you can use other than pork! We have a beef sinigang recipe that’s fantastic and beefy. However, these recipes need time to get tender. The solution to that is to swap out the main ingredient for another that cooks in minutes rather than in an hour: fish.
You can use any fish you want but we think the humble tilapia fish is a great option for anyone to use. You can use any size you like but just note that the tilapia becomes known as a pla-pla when it reaches a certain size. If you’ve ever wondered what that large whole fish looks like a tilapia, it probably is but just bigger.
Sinigang Na Tilapia Recipe
Ingredients
Sinigang Na Tilapia Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 medium red onions peeled, quartered
- 4 medium tomatoes quartered
- 1 45-gram pack sinigang na sampalok mix
- 1/2 medium radish (labanos) peeled, sliced
- 1 bunch small okra halved
- 4 cups water
- 1 bunch kangkong (water spinach) leaves and tender stalks only
- 3 small pieces tilapia cleaned, gutted and scaled, halved
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and tomatoes and cook until just translucent.
- Place sinigang mix, labanos, okra, and enough water to cover the vegetables about 1-inch high. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, then cook until the vegetables are tender. Stir in tender stems of kangkong. Bring back to a simmer, about 1 minute.
- When ready to serve, bring the broth back to a boil and slip in the tilapia pieces. Cook until the fish is opaque. Stir in kangkong leaves and let cook until just wilted. Remove pot from the heat, and serve hot with steamed white rice.
