Sinigang na Bangus

Sinigang na Bangus is a Filipino dish with unique tangy flavor, and is made by, cooking milkfish slices in a soup made with sinigang mix, fish sauce, onion, ginger, tomatoes, string beans, kangkong, radish, eggplant, green chilies and water. The combination of the sour broth, tender fish, and assortment of vegetables creates a harmonious medley of flavors. The sinigang na bangus is best enjoyed with steamed rice, especially during the rainy season.

Sinigang na Bangus Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 large milkfish (sliced into serving pieces)
• 1 thumb ginger (sliced)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 4 medium tomatoes (sliced into chunks)
• 1 bunch string beans (cut into shorter pieces)
• 1 bunch kangkong
• 1 small white radish (sliced)
• 1 small eggplant (sliced)
• 1 sachet Sinigang Mix
• fish sauce to taste
• 3 – 4 green chilies  
• 4 – 5 cups of rice water (or plain water)

Directions:

1. Wash and prepare the milkfish. Slice them into large serving pieces and transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle and rub some salt gently.
2. Heat some oil in a pan. Fry the fish chunks lightly for a few minutes until half cooked. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.
3. On the same pan, add the ginger, onion and tomatoes. Then, pour some rice water (or plain water).   Cover the pot and wait for the broth to boil.
4. Once boiling, add the string beans and sliced radish. Let this cook for 5 minutes. Then, add the okra and eggplant. Cook for 3 more minutes.
5. Add the Sinigang Mix powder and stir to mix well. Season with some fish sauce to taste.
6. Add the fried bangus slices into the broth. Make sure that all slices are submerged. Then, add the kangkong leaves. Stir gently to cook the kangkong leaves. Add the whole green chilies and cook for 3 to 5 more minutes.
7. Once all ingredients are cooked, the dish is ready. Turn the heat off.
8. Transfer the sinigang na bangus to a serving bowl. Enjoy it as a soup or have it with some hot steaming rice. Yum!

Sinigang na Bangus

Sinigang is a traditional Filipino soup known for its distinct sour taste. It is considered one of the most popular and iconic dishes in Filipino cuisine. The soup is characterized by its sour broth, which is achieved by using a souring agent, most commonly tamarind, but other alternatives like guava, calamansi, or kamias can also be used.

The name “sinigang” is derived from the Tagalog word “singgang,” which means “to stew” or “to simmer.” Traditionally, sinigang was cooked by simmering meat or seafood with sour fruits or leaves, such as tamarind, kamias (bilimbi), guava, or tomatoes. These souring agents imparted a tangy flavor to the soup and served as a natural preservative.

The base of sinigang typically consists of meat or seafood, such as pork, beef, shrimp, or fish. It is often cooked with an assortment of vegetables, including leafy greens like kangkong (water spinach), sitaw (long beans), and talong (eggplant), as well as radish, okra, and tomatoes. The combination of meat, vegetables, and sour broth creates a flavorful and comforting soup that is enjoyed by Filipinos of all ages.

Sinigang is known for its sour and savory taste, balanced with the natural sweetness of the ingredients. It is a comforting and nourishing dish that is often served with steamed rice, providing a satisfying and complete meal.

If you wanna know how to make sinigang na bangus at home, read and follow the simple recipe below. Happy cooking!

How to Cook Sinigang na Bangus

Sinigang na bangus is one of my personal faves. There is truly a unique approach to every dish when we use fish instead of pork or beef. If you have made any sinigang dishes in the past, then this recipe will be super easy for you.

There are many cuts of bangus but I highly recommend a large bangus which will be sliced into serving pieces for this recipe. Wash and prepare the bangus and remove the unwanted parts. A little salt rub on each piece can already help unleash all the natural flavors of the fish.

Other sinigang recipes directly adds the fish into the broth but I like to fry my bangus just to prevent them from being crushed during the cooking process. Frying them keeps the crust intact, to protect the very soft fish flesh.

To start with the broth, saute the aromatics first. For this recipe, I used rice water (the cloudy water after washing your rice) for the base of the broth. Using rice water will yield to a slightly thicker sauce because of the excess starch from the rice. If you want a completely light broth, you can use plain water instead. Once the broth is boiling, add the veggies of your choice. While the veggies are flexible, the combination of the following veggies produced the best sinigang: string beans, white radish, okra, eggplant and kangkong. Usually, there is a pre-sliced mixes of the most common sinigang veggies in the market. Add the string beans and radish first as they needed extra time to cook, followed by the okra and eggplant. We add the kangkong and chilies last since they are quick to cook and are prone to being overcooked.

While we use tomatoes as our souring agent, the easiest hack to make the sinigang broth without using too much ingredients is by adding sinigang mix. Just 1 sachet of this is already good for 1 liter or broth!

Add the fried bangus back into the broth and cook until all the ingredients come together. I love my sinigang na bangus as a soup or together with a lot of hot steaming rice. Yum!

Sinigang na Bangus Recipe in Tagalog

Mga Sangkap:

• 1 malaking bangus (hiniwa sa serving pieces)
• 1 thumb ng luya (hiniwa)
• 1 sibuyas (hiniwa)
• 4 kamatis (hiniwa ng malalaking piraso)
• 1 bugkos ng sitaw (hiniwa ng maliliit na piraso)
• 1 talbos ng kangkong
• 1 maliit na labanos (hiniwa)
• 1 maliit na talong (hiniwa)
• 1 sachet ng Sinigang Mix
• asin
• 3 – 4 siling haba
• 4 – 5 tasang hugas bigas (o plain tubig)

Paano Lutuin:

1. Hugasan at ihanda ang bangus. Hiwain ito ng malalaking piraso at ilipat sa isang bowl. Pahiran ng asin ang lahat ng sides.

2. Magpainit ng kaunting mantika sa kawali. Igisa nang konti ang mga piraso ng bangus  ilang minuto para maluto ng konti. Ilipat ang mga ito sa isang pinggan at isantabi muna.

3. Sa parehong kawali, ilagay ang luya, sibuyas, at kamatis. Ibuhos ang hugas bigas o plain na tubig. Takpan ang kawali at hintayin ang sabaw na kumulo.

4. Kapag kumukulo na, sunod na ilagay ang sitaw at  labanos. Hayaan itong maluto ng 5 minuto. Saka ilagay ang okra at talong. Lutuin ito ng 3 minuto pa.

5. Ilagay ang Sinigang Mix powder at haluin nang mabuti. Timplahan ng kaunting patis na pampalasa.

6. Ilagay ang mga bangus sa kawali. Siguraduhing nakalubog ang bawat piraso sa sabaw. Ilagay ang mga dahon ng kangkong. Haluin nang dahan-dahan upang maluto ito. Ilagay ang buong siling haba at lutuin ito ng 3 hanggang 5 minuto.

7. Kapag luto na ang bawat ingredient, ready na ito. Patayin ang apoy.

8. Ilipat ang sinigang na bangus sa isang bowl. Enjoyin ito bilang sabaw o kainin kasama ang mainit na kanin. Yum!