Sinigang na Hipon – is a variation of the national Filipino sour soup called Sinigang. It directly translates to shrimp in sour soup. When it comes to making this variation of sour soup, it generally involves a selection of vegetables stewed with a bundle of shrimps. There are many different types of sinigang you can make. Depending on what kind of main you like, there are different protein and options to try.
Sinigang na Hipon
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 1 lb shrimps
- 3 plum tomatoes
- 2 onions
- 1 white radish
- 1 eggplant optional
- 10-15 pieces snake beans optional
- 2 mild green chile peppers
- 6 pieces okra
- 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed tamarind juice
- 2 tbs fish sauce or salt if you prefer
- 10 oz fresh spinach or 1–2 bunches of kangkong
Instructions
- In a large pan, bring the water to a simmer (or until you see some bubbling).
- Quarter the tomatoes
- Chop the onions
- Slice the white radish
- Add the tomatoes, onions and sliced radishes and cook until they are mostly cooked or until most are tender
- Add the other vegetables and tamarind juice and continue to cook for another 3 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and season with salt or fish sauce, taste until it reaches your preference
- Cook for another 4-5 minutes or until shrimps are cooked and veggies are all tender.
- Turn off the heat and add in the kangkong or spinach into the mix and stir it in
- Let the remaining heat cook the last vegetables by covering it for a few minutes.
- Once the kangkong or spinach wilt, it is ready to serve
Origins of Sinigang na Hipon and Variations
Sinigang, from the word itself, translates to “stew.” When it comes to the original form of the dish, it is basically a broth of protein and vegetables cooked in a mixture with tamarind. It can also refer to any meat or seafood cooked in a sour and acidic broth. Another type of sour broth dish that you can compare with sinigang is paksiw. The difference however, is that the latter mainly uses vinegar. When it comes to the variations of sinigang, there is plenty you can look into.
The most common variations of sinigang you can find are usually those with fish, beef, or pork in it. Either that your you find dishes with a combination of seafood. Another form of variation you can find with this dish is with the soup base. There are some dishes that use either guava, unripe manga, or even lime as the sour soup base. Aside from this, there is a sinigang that adds miso into the soup for extra flavouring. Sinigang na hipon is just one option among many for you to try with this national Filipino dish.
