Pork and Rhubarb Sinigang

Pork and Rhubarb Sinigang - Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary Hijinkswindow.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init( { apiKey: 'a279adbe87e2b3c505e777af99a5260d', xfbml: true } );};( function() { var e = document.createElement( 'script' ); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById( 'fb-root' ).appendChild( e );} )();Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary HijinksLumpia FillingAbout Burnt LumpiaFilipino Food Recipe ArchiveLinks Get My FeedWelcomeRecent PostsPork and Rhubarb SinigangChicken Adobo and 40 Cloves of GarlicCookbook Update: Manuscript & Photos DoneHome-Cured Corned BeefA Journey with LinamnamCookbook Recipe Testers Wanted!Turkey, Sweet Potato, and Cranberry EmpanadasPapaitan: Offal & Bile SoupAn Interview with Claude TayagFresh Mango Pudding From Rasa Malaysia's New CookbookCategoriesAdobo RecipesBeefBeer, Liquor, & WineBL OriginalsBL Restaurant ReviewsBooksCookbooksDessertsFruits and VeggiesGiveawaysHolidaysHow to Make LumpiaKalamansiKinilawLasang PinoyMy Cookbook!On The GrillOtherPancit (Filipino Noodles)PorkPoultryRiceSeafoodThe BL FamThe Manila MachineTravelUbe RecipesVinegar (Suka) « Chicken Adobo and 40 Cloves of Garlic |Main

May 28, 2012Pork and Rhubarb Sinigang

The Filipino sour soup known as Sinigang can contain any variety of meats, poultry and seafood, and is typically studded with a variety of local vegetables. Depending on the region of the Philippines, a range of native fruits can be used to give Sinigang its trademark tang. And although vinegar is a vital ingredient in Filipino cooking, it is never used as a souring agent for Sinigang.

The typical souring agents that can be used include unripe tamarind pods and leaves, kamias (a very sour green fruit pod native to the Philippines), guava, starfruit, tomatoes, as well as lemon, calamansi and dayap (another variety of Philippine lime).

But since Rhubarb is so plentiful this time of year in my neck of the woods (and also because tamarind, kamias, guava, starfruit and dayap don't grow in my neck of the woods), I decided to try and use the sour red stalks to bring the tang for a Pork Sinigang.

Rhubarb? In soup? Yes. And it works wonderfully! Although rhubarb is typically used in desserts, a savory Sinigang application isn't as crazy as it sounds. Besides lending the necessary sourness for a proper Sinigang, rhubarb also provides a nice crunchy texture in much the same way that daikon or taro traditionally would in the Filipino sour soup.

And besides, using Rhubarb in Sinigang will trip out even the most palate-progressive of all your Filipino friends. It's a culinary curveball!

"rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb"

In fact, I myself was hesitant with this experiment. But after my first bite, the rhubarb quickly reminded me of a Fish Sinigang soured with Kamias that I had in the Philippines a few years back. So, plop a bowl of this sour, ruby-studded soup in front of the most hardened of Sinigang purists and they'll quickly come to believe in the savory souring power of rhubarb.

Pork and Rhubarb Sinigang

To make this Sinigang, you will need a total of 1-1/2 pounds of fresh rhubarb. 1 pound will be needed for the broth, and the other 1/2 pound will be chopped and added to the soup at the last minute to provide more sourness and texture. When buying rhubarb, choose long, slender, and firm stalks that are deep red in color.

I also used boneless country-style pork ribs in this recipe, but regular pork spareribs would work great, but so would shrimp or even salmon. Sinigang be flexible, folks.

Serves 4-6

For the broth:
1 pound fresh rhubarb
8 cups water

For the soup:
1.5 pounds cubed pork (I used boneless country-style pork ribs)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, diced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
2 mild yellow chili peppers, pierced through with a knife
1/2 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 pound fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Fresh greens, such as chopped bok choy, kangkong, or spinach (I used spinach)
Lemon wedges, or kalamansi halves, for serving

To make the rhubarb broth, trim away and discard any leaves from the rhubarb stalks (the leaves are toxic). Roughly chop the rhubarb into about 1-inch chunks. Add the rhubarb chunks, along with the 8 cups of water, to a large pot over high heat. Bring the pot to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the rhubarb is completely soft, 10-15 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mash the rhubarb in the sieve to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the rhubarb pulp and set the broth aside.

To make the soup, season the cubed pork with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over moderately high heat. When the oil is hot, add the pork to the pot and brown on all sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Brown the pork in batches if necessary so as not to overcrowd the pot.

Transfer the browned pork to a large platter and set aside. Add the onions to the pot and cook until soft and wilted, 2-3 minutes. Toss in the garlic and cook until just beginning to brown, 1-2 minutes. Return the browned pork to the pot, along with any accumulated juices from the platter. Pour in the rhubarb broth, stirring the bottom of the pot to scrape up any browned bits. Stir in the fish sauce, chili peppers and the tomatoes. Bring the pot to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the pork is tender, 45-60 minutes.

Taste the soup, and adjust the seasoning as necessary with more fish sauce.

During the last 10 minutes of cooking stir in the chopped 1/2 pound of rhubarb and simmer until the rhubarb is tender, but not mushy, 5-10 minutes. If using bok choy, add it at the same time as the rhubarb. If using greens that wilt more quickly, like spinach, just stir it in at the last second after you've removed the soup from the heat.

Serve the Sinigang with lemon wedges or kalamansi halves on the side, to adjust the sourness as needed. Also serve alongside steamed white rice.

Pork Sinigang Soured with Rhubarb

Posted by Burnt Lumpia at 11:01 AM | Permalink

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Comments

where did you bought rhubarb?

Posted by:lyn |May 28, 2012 at 11:48 PM

Brilliant! Or should I say genius?

I've always wondered if cranberries can be used as souring agent for sinigang. But I'm always afraid my family will not be open to such a crazy idea. Perhaps you can do the experiment for me. :-)

Posted by:leah |May 29, 2012 at 10:03 AM

I rarely get impressed by modifications on traditional preparations, but this is very nice. Simple but innovative, and not trying too hard.

Posted by:Beth |May 29, 2012 at 11:57 AM

Yes, you are freakin' brilliant! I will use your recipe for my Iron Chef cooking party this weekend. The theme ingredient is Rhubarb!

Posted by:Vicky |May 29, 2012 at 01:06 PM

mmmmm...two of my favorite things: pork and rhubarb! They go nicely together in basic stir fry, so I think they will play very nicely together in this soup! Will have to give it a try...thanks for the idea!

Posted by:shannon |May 29, 2012 at 01:11 PM

Total genius! I've always been curious about rhubarb though I've never had the opportunity to try it. Wow that's pretty awesome.

Posted by:Michelle |May 29, 2012 at 09:59 PM

I see you're as creative (and crazy) as ever, Marvin! :-)

Posted by:Katrina |May 30, 2012 at 12:59 PM

Da-yum! And I didn't come up with this , why?!?!?
Brilliant Marvin!

Posted by:jean |May 31, 2012 at 09:19 AM

Crazy cool, man! Major props. :)

Posted by:Row |May 31, 2012 at 11:09 PM

hey marvin, the use of rhubarbs as souring agent for sinigang was GENIUS!!!

:)

Posted by:Jeff M |June 07, 2012 at 06:50 PM

I dont think Rhubarb grows in my neck of the woods, but if i see some available in the market... i would like to give this a try. :)

Posted by:tndcallphilippines |June 07, 2012 at 07:36 PM

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Rhubarb Strawberry Crumb Bars for Spring Fling

Spring Fling is here and were celebrating Spring’s bounty with Deb, Editor of Food Network, Margaret of Away to Garden, Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen,  Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites, Shauna of Gluten Free Girl, Gaby of What’s Gaby Cooking and Nicole of Pinch My Salt.

This week’s theme is rhubarb and to participate, just share your rhubarb recipe link in our blog on the comments below, as well as the blogs of all our participating friends!

The world needs more rhubarb dishes. It’s fun to say.  You can freak people out by telling them the leaves are poisonous. It looks like a funky red celery stalk. It magically transforms when cooked from firm and crispy to melting-ly soft and it has an amazing sweet-tart tang.

Here in Southern California, it seems like we hardly ever see anyone using rhubarb. You’ll find the few tired stalks in the grocery produce section, and the better farmers’ markets will always have a farmer or two with their freshly hacked red canes, but I can’t remember the last time I saw rhubarb on a restaurant dessert list or in a bakery’s selection. Maybe we just aren’t hitting the right places.

Yet despite it’s So Cal scarcity, anytime we make something with rhubarb when we have guests over, they go nuts.  All the sudden it becomes Prairie Home Companion time and everyone starts recalling tales of their youth and home town stories. “I haven’t had rhubarb in forever! Reminds me of back when…”

Maybe it is a good thing we don’t get spoiled with regular rhubarb delights. It’s kind of nice having an ingredient remind us of our innocent years. It takes me back to the house of one of Dad’s cutting horse buddies (who was also our Jr. High P.E. teacher) and the evenings spent there where us kids tried to play pool while the adults gabbed about boring adult stuff, and all summer long there was almost always a rhubarb pie perched on the counter top. Regular Norman Rockwell times.

In preparing for this dish, I was determined to avoid the cliche of the rhubarb-strawberry pairing.  “Sure they are fantastic together, but it’s… too cliche,” I kept protesting in my head. However one of our photo gigs this past week was to shoot a local strawberry farm for Whole Foods, and the berries were sooooo good. So Cal rocks the strawberry fields, and when they are in season, it is hard to get them out of your head.

My no-strawberry will power lasted until literally a hour before I had time to make the crumb bars to shoot. But that last trip to the market to get eggs gave me just enough of an excuse to deviate over to a nearby farmer’s stand and get a 3-pack of juicy, sweet gorgeous strawberries.

So this bar recipe is now a Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bar recipe. If you have more will power than I, just double the rhubarb and leave out the strawberries.  You can always save the pardoned strawberries for Strawberry Mojitos.

These bars are rhubarb rock stars. The base batter bakes into a wonderful soft, moist cake. The next layer is  the sweet-tart dynamic duo of the strawberries and rhubarb which have baked down to a tender tang. Then everything is finished off with a brown sugar streusel topping.  If you really want to go crazy, whip up a batch of fresh whipped cream and top the bars with a little heaven. Mamma.

-Todd

Step by Step

coat rhubarb & strawberries w/ brown sugar,  flour

spread batter in bottom of pan

layer rhubarb, strawberry mix, then add streusel topping then bake

add big dollop of whipped cream to celebrate rhubarb!

Our friends this week sharing their favorite Rhubarb recipes!

 Print This Recipe
Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bar Recipe
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s rhubarb crumb bar recipe. If you want pure ‘barb, just double the amount in the recipe, and leave out the strawberries. Serves 16.

For the Streusel

1/2 c (115g) unsalted Butter, melted, plus room-temperature butter for pan3/4 c (160g) packed Golden Brown Sugar1/4 t (2g) Sea Salt or Kosher Salt1 1/4 c (160g) all-purpose Flour, plus more for pan

For the Bars

1/2 lb (225g) Rhubarb, cut into 1/2? pieces1/2 lb (225g) fresh Strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/4? thick1 1/2 T (15g) Golden Brown Sugar1 1/3 c (200g) all-purpose Flour3/4 t (3g) Baking Powder1/2 t (3g) Sea Salt or Kosher Salt3/4 c (170g) unsalted Butter, room temperature1 1/4 c (140g) Confectioners’ Sugar2 large Eggs, beaten3/4 t (3ml) pure Vanilla Extract

Whipped Cream Topping (optional)

1 c (240ml) Whipped Cream1 T (9 g) Confectioners’ Sugar1 t (5ml) pure Vanilla Extractconfectioners’ sugar for dusting the topPreheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9? square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2? overhang on two sides (use a swipe of butter on edges of pan to help keep parchment flush with pan. Butter and flour parchment and pan, tapping out excess flour.Make Streusel. Whisk together butter, brown sugar, and salt. Add flour and mix together using a fork or your fingers to create large crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.Make Cake. In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar, and 1/3 c (50g) of flour. Sift or whisk together remaining flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside.In a mixer, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in flour mix until just incorporated.Spread batter in prepared pan, top with rhubarb/strawberry mix then top with streusel topping.Bake 50-55 minutes or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan, then remove from pan using the overhanging parchment tabs.While bars bake, whisk together whipped cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract to firm peaks. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to serve.Slice bars to preferred size, dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve or top with whipped cream and serve.

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