A national favorite in the Philippines. This dish is a sour soup with a medley of hearty vegetables and choice of chicken, or pork. The sourness is based on extracting the juice of tamarinds. Seasoned with fish sauce, this is the perfect soup for a rainy day. Or sunny. 

Enjoy it with rice

The sour soup seasons the vegetables and chicken perfectly with a sweet and tangy flavor. Add a little fish sauce for saltiness, and the flavors blend in a magical way. The way I enjoy this dish is to spoon a few sips of soup and pour in a good amount into steaming rice. 

Slow cooked

It is obvious that you use the cooking liquid to slowly soften the meat. But, one technique that I seldom see is to brown the meat at the beginning of the process. By browning the meat, it creates a mallard reaction and adds more flavor to the soup. 

Tamarind

Make it exciting by using real tamarind that can be bought at any Asian supermarket. Just pour boiling water to extract its flavor. One tip, not all tamarind extracts are created equal. You have to taste and keep tasting to see if you have the flavor you are happy with. Use tamarind as a seasoning, and put more or less according to your own taste. 

Ingredients

6 pieces chicken thighs

1 eggplant

1 bunch of bok choy

5 radish roots

1 tamarind pulp

1 onion

water

salt pepper

1 packet sinigang mix (rescue option)

Here is how to do it. 

1. Fry off chicken skin side down. Do in batches if necessary. 
2. Steep tamarind pulp in hot water. 
3. Once the chicken has been browned, fill the pot 3/4 of the way. 
4. Season broth with fish sauce and tamarind water. Tamarind pulp can be inconsistent with sourness, so I would keep a packet of sinigang mix handy as a rescue option.
5. When you are happy with the seasoning of the broth, add your vegetables and allow about 2-3 minutes to cook or until tender.