Recipes

The rainy season is the perfect time to indulge in some stomach-warming soup dishes. And ones that have a sour kick like the classic Thai tom yum may also have resonance with Filipinos growing up eating sinigang (especially those on the the-more-sour-the-better train). In this simple, lazy-day recipe, we mash up a Filipino favorite with the aforementioned tom yum for a new dish that hits all the right spots.

The question is, what’s your favorite lechon though?

While paksiw is the go-to for preserving leftover lechon, here we offer you a dish that offers the same utility with a radically different taste. And we make it really easy: with tom yum paste readily available in supermarkets, the hard work has already been done for you. Now imagine that nice, lechon fat melting into a hot, sour, and spicy soup and tell us 30 minutes is too long a cooking time for a dish this good.

Lechon Tom Yum

Serves: 3-4 people
Active time: 30 mins
Total time:
Difficulty: Easy

Soup Base

4 cups water or 2 cups each shrimp and pork broth
3 tbsp. tom yum paste
1 tsp. brown sugar
¼ cup lime juice
2 tbsp. fish sauce
½ cup straw mushrooms, drained
2 bird’s eye chilies, split in half

Meat and Garnish

300-400 grams lechon, chopped
½ cup cilantro

Add water or broth to a large pot set over medium-high heat.
Add the Tom Yum paste, brown sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce.
Stir to combine until the sugar is dissolved.
Bring soup to a boil and add mushrooms and chili.
While soup is heating, add lechon to a large bowl.
Take soup off of heat and add to the lechon.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with more lime and fish sauce if desired.

Bea Osmeña SEE AUTHOR Bea Osmeña

Bea Osmeña is a healthy-ish eater who is just as likely to take you to a vegan joint as she is to consume a whole cheese pie to herself. A former picky eater, Bea has discovered the joys of savory fruit dishes, but still refuses to accept pineapples on her pizza. On the rare occasion you catch her without food in her mouth, you are likely to find her looking at books she can't afford, hugging trees, or talking to strange animals on the street.