Can you make pork sinigang with canned whole peeled tomatoes? We say yes!
If it’s sour, it’s sinigang. The long list of souring agents used in the dish—tamarind, guava, kamias, calamansi, batuan, and so on—paints a picture of sinigang's versatility and adaptation. If our ancestors back then had an open can of whole peeled tomatoes lying around, we’re pretty sure they’d make sinigang out of it, too.
Sinigang is a beloved Filipino dish of meat or fish cooked in a sour broth. Traditionally, the broth gets its acidity from sour-tasting fruit or leaves like kamias, sampalok, calamansi, and dayap. Nowadays, most home cooks use instant sinigang mix for convenience. Sinigang is served with hot rice, sometimes with bagoong and grilled meat or fish.
Canned tomatoes generally taste rich, tangy, and slightly sweet. Tomatoes are plucked at peak ripeness, then the process of canning them intensifies their natural flavors. This results in a deeper, more robust flavor than fresh tomatoes. Now imagine reducing them to make sinigang sa kamatis, with some help from instant mix to kick up the sourness.
Sear pork: Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork and sear until well browned on all sides. Remove pork from heat.
Make soup base: Reduce heat to medium. In the same pot with the leftover oil, add chopped onions and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add drained whole peeled tomatoes and cook until jammy. Add water and instant sinigang mix. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Return seared pork to the pot, cover, and cook until pork is soft and fork-tender, about 40 minutes to 1 hour.
Season to taste with patis (for saltiness) or more sinigang mix (for acidity). The soup should be tart!
Cook vegetables: Add labanos and okra to the pot. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add kangkong last and let sit in the soup, uncovered, until wilted. Stir and serve with hot rice.
