Comments on: Sampaloc/Tamarind Broth for Sinigang

By: Cecilia

Cecilia — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:34:40 +0000

I will also try Clarissa’s tip!

By: Cecilia

Cecilia — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:33:34 +0000

I am so happy to come across this recipe for making sampalok broth, as I’ve always wondered about that. I, unfortunately, being here in the states and living far from Asian stores, usually just use the mix… Now to just figure out when the season for sampalok is.

I love how your blog covers almost everything I’ve always wanted to know relating to Filipino cuisine!

By: Clarissa

Clarissa — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:16:14 +0000

I live and work in Toronto, in Canada. I inherited my finicky tastebuds from my Chinese Lola, so I can’t eat the instant stuff. I’m proud to say that I’ve never had to resort to the cubes for my sinigang. There are enough “pampa-asim” in the ethnic markets, if you are resourceful.

I had great success using dehydrated tamarind pods, even if they’re ripe. (Mostly from Thailand–in boxes. Tamarind pulp is widely available in ethnic markets, and I heard that the flavour is excellent as well.

By: Lorelei

Lorelei — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:58:18 +0000

Oh, this makes me so homesick. I remember helping my grandmother make this broth to use in sinigang, sinampalukan and a host of other sour soup dishes (we even used it with some patis or bagoon as a dip for grilled catfish. MNN!)

Living in Washington DC, my sources for Pinoy goods are the tiny little local Filipino stores. Some frozen items (like the ripe tamarind in the shell. I’ve never seen the frozen green/unripe sampalok, though.) I’ll just have to suffer through the Knorr or Mama Sita mixes until I go back this fall. I’ll beg grandma to make some sinampalukan, old school style.

By: Raymund Pilapil

Raymund Pilapil — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:35:22 +0000

There is nothing can compare using natural broth for a sinigang. Be it a pork, beef or prawn. Thanks for the tip.

By: Roberto Vicencio

Roberto Vicencio — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:40:43 +0000

I could feel the joints in my jaw tightening from anticipation, almost tasting the tratness of this sinigang. Thank you again.

By: Blaise Fortuna

Blaise Fortuna — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:03:02 +0000

It’s funny that you mentioned you discussed this, we had sinigang the other night and I told my grandmother that how different it is when you use real sampaloc in making this dish (we too are just using those cubes and foil packs), I mean it is just different when you sip the piping hot soup, the sensation it gives.. but my grandmother says that it is so hard to find sampaloc these days.. sad :(

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:33:35 +0000

THANK YOU!!!! My husband and I were just talking about how we are tired of the instant packet. Now all we need to do is find unripe Tamarind in San Francisco.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 13:47:39 +0000

I agree this is simple but very satisfying. You would be surprised how few people still make this from scratch.

By: Bunny

Bunny — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 13:27:26 +0000

This one’s too simple, marketman :-) We’ve been making our sinigang this way since I was a wee baby :-D