Sinigang na Hipon (Shrimp in Tamarind Soup) na may Gabi (with Taro)

Anyone who has visited the Philippines must know of this famous dish. It’s basically sour soup that’s either tamarind or mango based, with tomatoes, greens, and choice of meat or fish. It’s a comfort food that never fails to remind Pinoy’s working abroad how it feels like to be home.

So here’s what you need:

1 kilo shrimp

3 tomatoes (sliced into quarters)
1 big onion (sliced)
4 cloves of garlic (diced)
1 radish (sliced)
1 big taro/gabi (sliced into cubes)
100g river spinach/kangkong
8 cups of water
Knorr sinigang sa sampalok mix

I can sense Filipino Tita’s raising their eyebrows at this point. Shouldn’t there be more veggies in this recipe? Yes, you are right. But the Vietnamese grocery store didn’t have green finger peppers and string beans. And I’m not gonna eat them anyway. So I decided to skip these and move on.

Some old school moms actually extract tamarind juice from actual tamarinds. But my cooking skills and inherent laziness tell me that the Knorr mix is the way to go. Just a note.

First step, saute the garlic and onion. Pour 8 cups of water into the pot, add the Knorr sinigang mix and bring it to a boil. Add the tomatoes and the radish. After five minutes, add the shrimp. Let it simmer for 15 minutes then add the taro/gabi. Let it simmer for 20 minutes, then add kangkong. Cover and let it simmer for 5 more minutes.

Season with fish sauce/patis/sauce de poisson (yep, Math/ME majors, I can see you grinning). Serve while still piping hot.

To complete the anti-homesickness experience, eat with green mangoes and bagoong.