Sinigang na Buntot ng Baboy (Pig’s Tail in Tamarind Broth)
Yes, you read right. Pig’s tail. Do I see some squirming? Do I hear puking? Sure, pig tails in soups, or in anything for that matter, is certainly an acquired taste but let me say,
you haven’t had sinigang if you haven’t had sinigang na buntot ng baboy. The thick fatty skin, bones, and the tender meat morsels between those bones make a sinigang just bursting with flavor!
I am a fourth-generation US immigrant. My great-grandfather jumped ship (literally) in the 1940’s and lived as a farm laborer in Hawaii. My grandmother followed in the early 1960’s and settled in California. With limited grasp of the language and only an elementary education, she carved her living by providing babysitting services in her small Los Angeles apartment. Being one who never shied away from work, she supplemented this meager income by making and selling homemade
chicharon,
tocino, and
longanisa. Her little cottage industry flourished for two reasons: heavy patronage from other Filipino immigrants who did not have convenient access to food products from the old country, and very little out-of-pocket expenses. She used to tell us, “All it involved was hard work, most of my meat I got for free.” For free? Yes, because butchers gave away the hocks, the swine’s skin, the entrails and almost all the parts of the carcass outside of the regular cuts being sold in stores.
My father, who came in 1983, recounts that goat meat, whole fish and other indigenous produce from the Philippines, had to be sourced from stores that were usually hours away. When my brothers and I arrived in 1990, Asian supermarkets were by then minutes away, but fresh malunggay, kangkong and the likes were still uncommon offerings on the shelves. Regular trips to farmer’s markets were necessary to avail of the food items we loved and missed.
The world turned, time flew, 2008 crept in, and what do I find in the meat section of our nearby Food 4 Less yesterday? Pig’s tail, pig’s feet, pig’s necks. This can be explained in two words: cultural fusion.
Makes 4 Servings
2 lbs pork tails, cut into serving sizes
4 to 5 pieces gabi roots, peeled and halved
1 daikon radish, around 5 to 6-inches long, peeled and cubed
1 medium bunch kangkong (water spinach), cut to 3-in lengths and sturdier ends discarded
1 cup long beans, around 3-in in lengths
1 medium eggplant, cut to serving portions with end discarded
4 to 5 pieces okra, ends trimmed
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, quartered
1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup tamarind base, or around 3 cups fresh tamarind
2 tbsps cooking oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper
5 to 6 cups water
chili, optional
In a deep sauce pot, heat oil. Saute onions and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add in and sear pork tails, around 5 to 7 minutes. Stir and move pork regularly.
Pour in fish sauce. Lower heat and allow to simmer for around 1 to 2 minutes. Add in tomatoes, squishing in pan with back of spoon to soften. Cover and continue to simmer until tomatoes expel their juices.
Add water. Skim any accumulated scum on top. Simmer until pork is fork tender, adding more water as needed to maintain 5 to 6 cups of water.
When pork is brought to desired tenderness, add gabi roots and daikon. When tender, add in long beans and chili pepper. Season with tamarind base or if using fresh tamarind, follow instructions here in this sinigang na manok recipe. Season with salt and pepper.
Add in kangkong leaves and allow to cook for around 1 minute. Serve hot.
Pork Adobo
Beef Pochero
The broth looks so rich and flavorful. You are right…sinigang is best with lots of bones and fat. My favorite is sinigang using neckbones but I’ve never tried tails before.