What do sampalok, bayabas, and kamias have in common? They're one of many souring agents that complete your sinigang.
Filipinos enjoy sinigang in their own unique ways, but there's one thing we can all agree on: the best sinigang is always the one with the boldest, brightest tartness. Tamarind, or sampalok, is the most popular ingredient for adding that signature sourness—that’s if you're not reaching for instant sinigang mix. However, with the Philippines' diverse bounty of fruits and vegetables, there are many other delicious options for souring your sinigang.
Here's a look at some alternative souring agents that Filipino households use to elevate their sinigang.
Balimbing, known as star fruit or carambola, is an oval, five-angled fruit abundant in Southeast Asia. When you slice it crosswise, you'll see why it's called "star fruit"—the slices resemble tiny stars.
Ripe, yellow balimbing have a sweet, citrusy flavor with a hint of tang. You can eat balimbing fresh and as is, including its waxy skin. When you’re making sinigang, you want unripe balimbing, when it’s much sourer and tougher to eat raw (though some persist and enjoy with a sprinkle of salt). It softens and yields nicely when boiled in soup, adding a good punch of tang to sinigang.
What sampalok is to Tagalogs, batwan is to Ilonggos. This round, green fruit is a common souring agent in Western Visayas, often used in dishes like sinigang and other regional favorites such as KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, Langka).
Batwan adds a distinct acidity that sets it apart from other souring agents. It’s tangy but not as sharp as vinegar, giving dishes a unique, balanced flavor.
While some guava varieties lean towards the sweeter side, our local ripe bayabas (also known as bayabas pangsigang) offer a pleasantly tart flavor. Many home cooks use these guavas to sour their sinigang, as they're commonly found in local markets. Even the Filipino restaurant Mesa features sinigang sa bayabas on their menu, pairing it with pineapple to add a touch of sweetness to the dish.
Kamias is another local fruit noted for its sourness. It’s a popular sinigang souring agent because many Filipino households, particularly those outside Metro Manila, grow kamias trees in their gardens. You can pluck it out of your garden and toss it in as soon as your sinigang comes to the boil. Others opt to boil kamias separately, extract the juice, and add that to sinigang, instead.
While kamias works well with any sinigang, it’s especially favored for seafood versions like fish or shrimp sinigang.
Known for their sharp, mouth-puckering sourness, unripe green mangoes make a great souring agent for sinigang. When sliced and simmered into the soup, the mango’s natural acidity infuses the sinigang, adding a delicious, refreshing zest.
We all know the tart acidity of pineapples, especially when we've bitten into one that wasn't fully ripe. Those green pineapples work wonderfully in sinigang, bringing a tangy punch followed by a slightly sweet undertone.
No list of sinigang souring agents is complete without the classic sampalok, the default flavor for many instant sinigang mixes. And as much as we love those instant mixes, nothing beats the natural pulpy tartness of the fresh stuff.
To use fresh sampalok for sinigang, you want to start by boiling the pods. Next, you mash and pass its juices through a strainer—this is your sampalok base. All that’s left is for you to dilute it into water, adjusting to your desired tartness. Simple!
Also known as "tree tomato," ripe tamarillo is a red or golden egg-shaped fruit with a sweet-sour taste. It works well in both savory and sweet dishes, and it can be an interesting alternative to your usual souring agents. Tamarillo’s mild sweetness rounds out its natural sourness, creating a more complex flavor profile in sinigang.
This article was first published in 2021, with minor revisions and the addition of Manggang Hilaw to the list in 2024.
