Sinigang na Baka

Sinigang na baka

Bilimbi fruit

Sinigang is popular everyday fare in the Philippines and typically features a meat complemented by a number of vegetables. A common addition is the fruit of the bilimbi tree—known in the Philippines as kamias—though this can be difficult to find outside of Southeast Asia. The trickiest part of preparing this flavorful soup is ensuring the vegetables are cooked but still firm. Recipe Servings: Serves 5

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time

1 hour 40 minutes

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Kosher

Halal

Ingredients

2 lbs (907 g) beef chuck, cubed
2 medium tomatoes, wedged
1 medium yellow onion, wedged
10–12 pieces fresh or dried bilimbi (kamias) fruit, optional
7–10 pieces okra
4 pieces indian eggplant, each sliced in half
12 pieces string beans, cut into a 2-inch (5-cm) length
2–3 cups (300–450 g) spinach
2–3 Tbsp (30–45 ml) fish sauce
4–5 pieces taro root (gabi), peeled and cleaned
9 cups (2.1 l) water
2 cups (480 ml) beef broth

Directions

Pour 5 cups (1.2 L) of water and all the beef broth into a cooking pot. Bring to a boil.
Add tomato, onion, and kamias fruit. Cook for 5–8 minutes.
Add beef and continue to boil on a low to medium heat for 45 minutes.
Add taro root to boiling mixture. Cook for an additional 45 minutes, until beef gets tender.
In a separate pot, bring remaining 4 cups (1 L) of water to a boil.
Once water begins to boil, blanch remaining vegetables for 3 minutes (45 seconds for the spinach). Drain water and arrange vegetables on a plate.
When beef is tender, add fish sauce and stir. If mixture seems too dry, add more water.
Transfer beef, taro, and soup broth to individual bowls and arrange blanched vegetables on top.
Serve hot.