The mercury in Manila early morning has dropped to a shockingly cold 22C or 71F! PAGASA (National Weather Service) reports that it is due to the tail end of a cold front bringing frigid air from China, and combined with heavy rains, this meant uncontrolled shivering across the metropolis yesterday. As collegialas to matronas and their significant others went thrashing about their closets for their sweaters, jackets and pashminas (style gurus forbid boots, I tell you)… all thoughts turned to something warm and comforting to eat. If it were bright and sunny and 70F all year round in Manila, my happiness quotient would rise dramatically. Instead, I need airconditiioning most of the time to keep out of the hot and bothered zone. But yesterday was the perfect day for this soup, a Sinigang na Lechon a la Marketman, and let me say, this was one whoppingly good soup! I have been meaning to cook this ever since “Choy,” a commenter mentioned it many months back and practically goaded me into cooking it despite my high 200’s cholesterol count… :) I have also tried to come up with something that would be delicious, quick, easy, festive and yet local for large holiday family gatherings. I think this is it.
It took less than an hour to make. A huge pot that cost roughly PHP700 would easily feed 12-14. Each serving with rice would cost only PHP50-60, or less than 2/3 of a BIG MAC! It was luscious, delicious and partially nutritious. You must try this at least once this holiday season. Locals and balikbayans alike will rave for days. And I did it with ingredients available at most large groceries. So you have no excuse why you can’t do this at home. Unless you don’t like sinigang. Or lechon. And if you don’t, WHAT ARE YOU DOING READING THIS??? :) I was at S&R the other day, finalizing plans with their store managers for the t-shirt pick-up arrangements, and I realized I had to cook lunch for a crowd in an hour, so I bought all of these ingredients at S&R.
Ingredients:
1 pack of Lechon hooves, and other unwanted but utterly delicious parts
1 pack of 500gms. lechon meat
2 packs of sinigang mix (I know, horrors, but they had no fresh sampaloc)
Eggplants (Talong)
Long Beans (Sitaw)
Water Spinach (Kangkong)
Radish (Labanos)
Tomatoes (Kamatis)
Onions (Sibuyas)
In a large pot, fill about 1/3 full of water, throw in the lechon parts (not the meaty ones yet), chop up some tomatoes and onions and turn on the heat to medium high. Bring this to a boil and keep it boiling for about 20-25 minutes to flavor the broth, it will turn cloudy. Add whole peppercorns if you desire. When that looks done and tastes pretty good, add the other lechon meat, salt and boil another 10 minutes or so (gentle boil). Add the sinigang mix and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if necessary. Then add the sliced vegtables, kangkong last, and serve. Gosh this was good. And surprisingly, not that oily. I thought it would be swimming in fat but it wasn’t. And the sourness of the tamarind with the richness of the lechon and the flavor and texture of veggies was everything you could want on a cold rainy day. The broth was surprisingly flavorful, something about pig bones really does miracles. This is everything good for a gathering of good friends, balikbayans, barkada, etc. this Christmas season. Fabulous. This has zoomed up my lengthy list of sinigang variations thus far…
40 Responses
uy! a new twist for our dear lechon. lagi na lang paksiw kasi ang luto…ngayon, sinigang naman! wow!
it must be serendipity-this is one of the rare occasions that i turned my computer on this early. and what do i see? the lechon sinigang i have been “goading” you into trying.
i guess it is just proper that i get to comment first on this post.
i am glad you liked it, but i’m amazed at the big production you made of it. we basically just throw everything in (except for the vegetables) and wait impatiently. but your way is even more mouth-watering. we’ll probably try it soon.
my heart palpitates happily as i write.
oops! rhea beat me to it. still…
i also enjoyed the weather yesterday, just like you, i like the cool breeze. we had nilagang brisket with pechay, the only vegetable in the house. when i saw your entry this morning, it gave me an idea to buy some lechon on saturday when i go to s&r for the donation thingee. i was thinking though, buti hindi nag-clash yung savory taste of the lechon with the asim of the sinigang no? ang galing mo talaga mag-imbento. imbento mo nga ba ito? hahaha! nagdududa daw…
chunky, actually, lots of places make this sinigang… it’s just that I didn’t use anyone’s recipe, so inangkin ko as “a la Marketman.” :)
Thanks for the wonderful recipe and I knew a lot of us never think of Sinigang na Lechon actually I love to create my own recipe and I actually did Sinigang na paksiw and its really taste good…..with lots of vinegar yummmyyyyyyy (*_*)
i so love lechon with its crispy skin but then i love sinigang equally as well…can’t wait to try it and oh yeah, how convenient it’s all found in s&R..one stop shop(but they do carry fresh sampaloc…occassionally!)
This looks so good. We’ve never tried making sinigang with lechon baboy. My dad, however, makes sinigang na bayabas with lechon baka. Yummy!
luscious, delicious and partially nutritious… hey tagline!
This is one yummy dish! We havent tried this tagalog version though. Try to make it with batwan. Aside from the batwan, my Mom usually places a bit of libas and takway. Usually, this sinigang na lechon is more of the best seller than the actual lechon in our house. Lots of relatives ask for take home pa hehehe. We order the lechon to be flown all the way from Capiz too. Very Ilonggo through and through hehe.
Whoa! A winner of a dish! One more for my Soup Recipe collection. Thanks, MM.
I will do this for lunch tomorrow because I first have to get “Pinoy” Lechon (as opposed to Chinese roast pork which seems to have some spices and might mess with the taste) which is a 30 min. drive for me. Mine will differ from your recipe in that I only use mustard greens in my sinigang and I make sure the greens are “al dente”. If this turns out well, I will do it for the Tribal Thanksgiving Dinner next week. Just think, your recipe could amke about 40 people happy all in one fell swoop. I will keep you posted.
Thanks Marketman! Now, we have a new way to serve lechon other than paksiw :)
Here’s another way: Nilagang Lechon. Hubby’s relatives from Pateros boil up the lechon (yup, cut up hooves and pata) with onions, salt & whole peppercorns then add pechay Baguio or cabbage and canned (or fresh) asparagus to lessen the guilt trip. Super sarap!..eaten with a calamansi and patis dip.
will try to cook this on Sunday! thanks. :)
Wow, Mr MM, this is such a great way of cooking the left-over lechon. We had a lot of left-over Elar’s Lechon (yum yum!)last week and we made the usual paksiw na lechon the following day.
Your recipe will surely be used in the next couple of weeks.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Will think about the cholesterol some other day. LOL!!!
Wow, wish I could have some of this right now! Frankly, I’m not a big fan of lechon but paksiw na lechon I like and sinigang na baboy I love, so this sounds really yummy!
MM,
Have you ever tried using lechon meat as topping for mami?
So many years back, I used to eat in one of the food stalls along side Baclaran Church that serves terrific mami with lechon meat. It a great treat during cold weather or after rummaging through all the bargains stalls in Baclaran! Now, I miss that stall! I wonder if it is still around?
This is great MM! Thanks Choy for giving MM the idea. I think I will try this during the holidays. Kristine, your dad’s recipe sounds really interesting. Would you/he care to share his recipe?
And speaking of making something that many others do yet creating your own recipe in the process, I did say na babalitaan kita MM if and when I’ve finally made my kalamansi squares. (I was inspired by your kalamansi marmalade, jelly and muffin, remember?) I did, several weeks ago. I didn’t use pastry dough(?) for a crust. Instead I used an oatmeal-based one thinking that it would be a good counter-asim to the kalamansi as well as provide a fair amount of “crunch” or maybe kunat to the otherwise soft, creamy filling. I rather thought too that oats having more fiber, sort of balances all that butter and sugar. My son and labiduds love it.
Anyway, I hope also to be able to develop kalamansi- and mangosteen-based recipes with the communities in Sibugay in relation to our development activities. Am just waiting for the go signal to be able to return there so we can all buckle down to work again. I admire you MM and the rest of your readers who contribute to make your projects a success. And I am encouraged to write about this in your blog knowing that you’re one who cares–and that there are others like you–about what happens around us. Of course, the communities I work with and I could sure make use of additional moral support. Region 9 is not an easy place.
Thanks and more power to you!
I love sinigang.. I want to have some of that soup right now in this cold weather of ours..
We usually cook this when there is leftover lechon (especially those parts that are not likely to be served) during birthdays and special events. it’s really good and something different!
Sinigang mix is not that bad. I like the one with gabi. We used it most of the time since fresh tamarind is not available all the time.
Wow, di ko alam pwede pala rin isinigang ang lechon! Alam ko lang paksiw at saka nakatikim ako once ng binagoongan na lechon.
We also did this last month and the only downside to this is that the lechon is a pricier option. But to think you can stock lechon in the freezer and be able to make this anytime you want in just thirty minutes. Saya! I wonder, MM, if using a home-made lechon can go, like lechon kawali or bagnet.
Reminds me also of sinigang na corned beef. Am I delusional or does it really exist? I sort of remembered eating it once. It used chinks of fresh (?) corned beef, not the canned kind. If I only know where I can find chunks of this. Any ideas MM? Anyone?
chad, I think lechon kawali would still work, but the broth won’t have character or depth…it is the bones and other bits in the lechon that make the dish, in my opinion. Yes, there is sinigang na corned beef. You can make your own corned beef at home but I have never tried. You can also buy it at restaurants such as Myron’s in Rockwell for take home then convert to sinigang…mahal lang to do that option!
i made lechon ropa vieja 2 weeks ago… shred and fry, hope not to die.
when we do lechon sinigang or nilaga, we make sure to simmer the lechon for a long time till the skin is very soft and the meat is falling off the bones. perfect for the season…
Looks like a great recipe. I’ll just have to find some of that sinigang mix here in Europe! Thanks also for putting the Filipino names next to the veggies – helps me learn the language.
One question – how did you get that pink colour all around the dish in that last photo? Very effective.
john, all I did was lay the pink tinged patterned glass serving bowl on a red piece of cardboard or thick red paper… the camera did the rest :) Any Asian or Filipino store in Europe should have the sinigang powder, typically flavored with sour tamarind… though making the tamarind broth from scratch is better if you can find unripe tamarind… procedure is in the archives…
2 favorites in one fell swoop! lechon and sinigang, yum!
This looks yummy and honestly never tried it. I saw it featured in TV though, I think an interview with Tita Cely. there is also a “sinigang na balut” and I wonder MM, if you would like to try it. Me, I only eat balut when I’m drunk and I eat it in the dark pa!
Lechon here in Cebu is more affordable, so maybe I could drop by CNT’s one of these days and try this dish.
@ lee
ano to namin mo na lechon ropa vieja haw?
wow, such an idea. Yon nga lang, ang lechon na nabibili dito sa Houston eh lechon lasang chinese. Meron pa-minsan-minsan dun sa isang store but you have to special order it pa. Anyway, I will sure try this, sigurp pata muna ang bibilhin ko. Ay naku, sarap na sarap talaga ako, gusto ko ng umuwi.. heheheh.
foodies unite! We now have another dish to try!
brenda: ropa vieja = old rope. shred ang lechon para ang tsura nya daw strands or fibers sang rope, dayun pritohon sa mantika hasta mag color gold kag crisp. Pagkatapos kaon, kadto sa lab kag mag lipid profile para ma check ang cholesterol.
Btw MM, do you eat balut?
I will be leading the petition to start your process of sainthood. St. Marketman – yeah, that’s the ticket….
One of my favorite food combinations is lechon kawali with a bowl of hot sinigang (either fish or pork). The sinigang reduces the umay factor of the lechon kawali. I think your sinigang na lechon is a tastier combination though because of the lechon bones used for the broth…
Lee, haha! I remember the old tv ad line: “Patyon ka sa sarap!” (Unfortunately, can’t remember the product it was advertising…)
i tried making this yesterday for lunch. boy, was it a hit! the weather here in davao even cooperated to make the effect more dramatic (it rained), making the sinigang na lechon more scrumptious than ever. thanks, Mr. Marketman for sharing this recipe! :)
I do this sinigang but I include the ribs and make sure I scoop some of ’em savory underbelly of the lechon! YUMMYyyyyyyyy! Gaita Fores serves this with pakwan slices in Cafe Bola!
immmn….
ang sarap…