Sinigang na Isda

The sinigang na isda is a Pinoy stew made with tender cuts of fish with kangkong, gabi, beans, radish and okra in a sauce made by ginger, onion. tomatoes and chilies. Made a little spicy with green chilies, this sour and savoury broth made it to the top rank among the best soup dishes worldwide! The sinigang na isda is best paired with hot rice and spicy patis-mansi dip, especially when the broth is thick!

SINIGANG NA ISDA RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo fish head
• Oil (for frying)
• 1 knob ginger (sliced)
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 4 medium tomatoes (chopped)
• 4 pieces taro (sliced into chunks)
• 1 sachet sinigang mix sa gabi
• 2 bunches string beans (chopped)
• 1 large radish (chopped)
• 5 pieces okra
• Bunches of kangkong leaves
• 4 pieces long green chilies

Directions:

1. Prepare the fish by removing the scales, fins, and the innards and gills. If you’re preparing a large fish, slice them into large pieces. Separate the large head of the fish and wash again thoroughly.
2. Slice the fish head into smaller serving pieces then transfer to a bowl. Rub each piece with salt and pepper to season. Let this sit for a few minutes.
3. Heat some oil in a pan. Fry the fish chunks gently until light brown. Flip them to cook the other side. Transfer them to a strainer or paper towel to drain excess oil. Set aside while you fry the other fish chunks.
4. Using the same pan and oil, add the ginger and saute a bit. Then, saute the onions and tomatoes. Gently crush the tomatoes while sauteing to soften and release the juices. Add the taro chunks and then saute a bit. Add rice water (or plain water) as needed. Cover the pot and cook until the gabi softens.
5. Once the gabi is soft, gently crush them using a fork. This will naturally thicken the broth.
6. Open the sinigang mix and add to the broth. Stir well to mix.
7. Add the string beans and the chopped radish. Stir gently and let this cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
8. Add the seared fish and submerge in the broth. Season with fish sauce before adding the okra. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes more.
9. Add the kangkong leaves and submerge in the broth. Once soft, add the long green chilies. After a few minutes of simmering, turn the heat off.
10. Transfer the sinigang na isda to a large serving bowl. Enjoy this as a soup or have it over hot steaming rice. Yum!

Sinigang na Isda

Have I chika you about of trip to Mindoro? It was very fun! Aside from the very nice view and the fresh air, the highlight of our trip was when one of my friends caught a gigantic fish! According to the locals, this fish is called “bungi”, which is very much similar to a red snapper fish.

After seeing the fish, a lot of dishes came into my mind. We all got excited to go back to land (wow) and cook this fish. After removing all the unnecessary parts, I immediately called dibs on the large head! And the only dish best for a fish head would be sinigang.

If you wanna know how to make some sinigang na isda with your choice of fish, read and follow the quick steps below. Happy cooking!

How to Cook Sinigang na Isda

Making a sinigang dish is super basic even without any prior cooking experiences. For a sinigang dish, you will only need to add the ingredients in a systematic way until they are cooked into a nice broth.

For this recipe, I used the red snapper fish which we caught during our Mindoro visit. You can use any type of fish, and any cut you like. Since the red snapper is a large type of fish, I only used the head for this dish (I’m thinking of another dish using the fish’s body and tails! Wait for it in another cooking blog!)

The foundation of a sinigang dish is the meat and the broth. The broth is made sour using your souring agent of choice. I used tomatoes for this dish which I heightened with the help of sinigang mix (but that’s totally optional!) Other choices for souring agent include sampalok, miso paste and guava. (Did you know that sinigang sa watermelon trended a few years ago? You can also try it!)

For the vegetables, there are no arguments on what veggies are included in a sinigang dish (unike the issue of sayote VS unripe papaya for tinola). These veggies include kangkong, okra, labanos, and string beans.

Most of the sinigang dishes which uses pork or beef simply throws all the ingredients in a pot until they come together. For sinigang which uses fish, I highly recommend to fry or at least sear the fish first before adding into the broth. This is to prevent them from being crushed especially when the veggies are added. Also, do not stir or swirl the fish when frying, or else they will break into pieces.

Once the fish is seared, you may now proceed with your aromatics and the broth. The classic sinigang is a little thick. This thickness is brought about by the crushed gabi instead of the usual slurry. But if you prefer a thin soup, you can just leave the gabi intact. Then, add the rest of the veggies. Add the kangkong last since leafy veggies cooks faster than the others. You may add green chilies as much as you want.

I really love my sinigang not just during rainy days but I love it everyday! I enjoy my sinigang with some spicy patis kalamansi dip and hot rice. Yum!

COOKING TIPS

• You can vary the type of meat. You can try this dish with pork, beef and chicken.
• You can try other souring agents like sampalok, kamyas, guava, watermelon and miso paste.