Sinigang na Isda: A Sour Fish Soup

Milkfish or bangus is the fish most commonly used in cooking fish sinigang. Maya-maya, dalagang-bukid, talakitok, kanduli or any fleshy fish is just as good. I used maya-maya fillets for this version.

Sinigang is a sour soup. The main ingredient may be meat or seafood. Mashed and strained tamarind is usually used for flavoring the broth of meat sinigang. Guava is a better choice for seafood sinigang. This dish also features a variety of vegetables that may include include kangkong (water spinach), sitaw (stringbeans), talong (eggplants), okra and gabi (taro). Long green chili beans are usually added to spice up the broth.

Ingredients :

3/4 kilo of fish
1 onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 head garlic, minced
2-3 pieces of taro, peeled and cut into 2×2-inch cubes
1 bunch of kangkong (leaves and upper stalks only)
1 bunch kamote tops (leaves only)
2 eggplants, sliced
1 green chili pepper
1 pack of “sinigang” mix (I used tamarind-based) good for 1 liter of soup
1 tbsp. cooking oil
salt or patis (salted fish sauce)

How to :

Cut fish into serving pieces. Set aside.

Heat oil in a big saucepan or casserole. Saute garlic. Add onions, chili pepper and tomatoes. Stir until onions are transparent and tomatoes start to crumble. Add 1 liter of water and salt or patis. Add taro. Bring to a boil. Simmer until taro is almost tender. Add the eggplant and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour in the sinigang mix. Next, add the fish and simmer for 5-10 minutes, depending on how big your fish pieces are. Add kangkong and kamote tops. Simmer for another minute then remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately.