There’s definitely no shortage of local sinigang souring agents. You’ve got fresh sampalok, tamarind paste, green mangoes; even sinigang mixes do the trick. But looking in our pantries, we noticed another now-staple ingredient that we thought would work with the Filipino dish: kimchi. So we got a little playful in the kitchen and developed this kimchi sinigang recipe. As predicted, the distinct and slightly overpowering sourness of the fermented Korean banchan lent itself to the soup, on top of a heat that brings those spicy ramen challenges to shame.
How to Make Kimchi Sinigang
You can think of this recipe as a cross between kimchi-jjigae and sinigang, leaning more towards the latter. As with most soups and stews, it follows a simple procedure; it starts with building the broth, then ends with hands-off cooking that’s essentially just waiting for everything to cook.
To start, place a stockpot over medium heat. Make sure the pot can fit six to eight cups of liquid; you’re making this kimchi sinigang for a crowd of six! Add oil into the pot then, once it’s hot, add the onions and tomatoes. Sautee the vegetables until softened, about three to five minutes. Next, add the kimchi, sauteeing for two more minutes until it’s aromatic. You can use either store-bought or homemade kimchi.
Add the water, sinigang mix, gochujang, and pork, and bring the pot to a boil.
Yes, there’s still sinigang mix in there. Although the kimchi is sour enough, it tends to take a back seat to the spiciness. Adding the sinigang mix ensures that the sinigang remains true to itself, in a sense.
We also add more gochujang to make up for the lost heat from the addition of water.
Reduce the heat to low and keep the kimchi sinigang at a simmer for an hour or until the pork is fork-tender. You’ll know it’s ready when you poke a fork into the meat and there’s little resistance.
Five to 10 minutes before you’re soup is done add the string beans. This should be just enough time to cook it and get it crisp-tender. You can also add other sinigang vegetables like gabi or kangkong. Just make sure to add them in intervals based on how long they cook to prevent them from over- or under-cooking.
Season the soup with fish sauce and make any more adjustments to taste before removing the pot from the heat. Serve immediately with a bowl of hot rice.
Be warned—it’s spicy (obviously). Treat it as sinigang where you accidentally crushed the sili, but a few notches hotter.
The post Kimchi Sinigang Recipe: Bringing Heat to the Sour Soup appeared first on Pepper.ph.
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