Sinigang in Philippines

Sinigang is a Philippine soup that is eaten with rice. Its characteristic flavor comes from tamarind which gives it a sour taste and overwhelms the taste of its meat. Sinigang is a started as a meat (e.g., fish, pork, chicken, shrimp, or beef) stewed with tamarind, green pepper, tomato, and onion. Other vegetables cooked in sinigang include okra, taro corms, labanos, kangkong, sitaw and eggplant. Another variety is prepared with guava and is less sour than those with tamarind. Raw mango, calamansi and kamias can also be utilized. However, vinegar is not used for making sinigang sour, soups made with vinegar are called paksiw. Powdered soup base or bouillon cubes for sinigang are also used in place of natural fruits. Chicken sinigang is called sinampalukan (from sampalok, Filipino for tamarind). Sinampalukan is made with shredded tamarind leaves, ginger, onions, and tomatoes. Sinampalukan is sometimes prepared to be a little spicier than the other sinigang dishes. My american boyfriend tasted sinigang when he visited here in Philippines and he wanted to have soup so i ordered sinigang for him and he likes it.