Sinigang na Sardinas is a budget-friendly soup constructed on sharp tamarind tang and the gentle chunk of canned sardines or mackerel. It’s loaded with greens and simple to cook dinner, particularly for weeknight meals.
Up to date: 7/2/25
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In lots of Filipino households, canned sardines are greater than only a low-budget backup. They’re fast, low-cost, and comforting, particularly when reworked into sinigang. This soup model, sinigang na sardinas, may be ready on wet days or when money and time are tight. Identical to the normal pork or shrimp variations, it’s bitter and comforting however has that light fish style that makes it lighter.
Personally, I like sinigang na sardinas most when paired with heat white rice and a aspect of crispy dried fish. That blend of bitter broth and salty crunch actually hits the spot. For this model, I used canned mackerel in oil as an alternative of normal sardines, added miso for a richer broth, and threw in additional greens than regular to bulk it up. The miso offers it a heartier end, whereas Maggi Magic Sinigang with Gabi ties the flavors collectively.
Table of Contents
What’s Sinigang na Sardinas?
Sinigang na sardinas is a tamarind-based Filipino soup that makes use of canned sardines or mackerel because the meat. “Sinigang” comes from the Tagalog phrase “sigang,” which suggests to stew in a bitter broth, normally tamarind. This model swaps out conventional pork or bangus with canned fish, making it sooner and extra inexpensive.
Within the Philippines, folks prefer it for how briskly it comes collectively, particularly whenever you’re brief on elements or funds. for acquainted flavors with no need entry to specialty meats. One factor most individuals don’t anticipate is how good canned mackerel can style in a well-seasoned soup, and utilizing sardinas is simply as conventional in lots of rural areas.
Substances and Goal
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Mackerel canned (45 oz) – This serves because the core protein. Mackerel in oil has a deeper taste than water-packed sardines and holds up properly in broth.
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Maggi Magic Sinigang with Gabi (75 grams) – This tamarind combine brings the signature sourness. The gabi (taro) component additionally thickens the broth just a little, giving it a fuller mouthfeel.
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Okra (12 items) – Okra provides a delicate earthy observe and a little bit of pure thickness when simmered. I maintain them entire to keep away from sliminess.
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String beans (15 items) – These stretch the dish and take in the broth properly. They’re gentle however maintain a little bit of chew when cooked proper.
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Daikon radish (6 oz) – Provides a gentle sweetness that helps spherical out the tanginess. I slice them skinny in order that they soften shortly.
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Eggplant (3 items) – Softens simply and absorbs the bitter broth. I like utilizing the lengthy purple sort, sliced diagonally.
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Lengthy inexperienced peppers (4 items) – Not spicy, simply aromatic. They provide a gentle peppery style with out warmth.
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Water spinach (1 bunch) – Additionally referred to as kangkong, this leafy inexperienced finishes the dish with a recent chunk. Add it final so it doesn’t overcook.
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Onions (2 items) – Begin the bottom with these. They mellow out when sautéed and assist bind the aromatics.
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Garlic (8 cloves) – Crushed and chopped for full launch of taste. Don’t skip this—it offers physique to the broth.
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Ginger (4 thumbs, crushed) – Lifts the fishy scent and provides light warmth. I don’t peel it if the pores and skin is skinny.
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Tomatoes (5 items) – A pure acid that pairs properly with tamarind. I take advantage of ripe ones to deepen the broth’s shade.
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Miso paste (1/4 cup) – Provides richness and an additional layer of taste. This isn’t in all sinigang variations, however it makes a distinction right here.
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Water (2 quarts) – Utilized in two levels to construct the broth. Begin with 1.5 quarts and add the remainder later for correct layering.
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Fish sauce and floor black pepper (to style) – These season the broth and alter saltiness. I style as I am going and at all times end with a splash.
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Cooking oil (3 tablespoons) – Wanted to sauté the bottom and construct taste earlier than including liquid
Finest Methods to Get pleasure from Sinigang na Sardinas
Some meals simply really feel like they have been invented for wet days, and this one tops that record. Within the Philippines, sinigang na sardinas is frequent throughout wet days when the climate turns damp and a sizzling bowl of soup hits in another way. It’s additionally cooked on days when payday feels too far-off, as a result of you’ll be able to stretch one can of fish to feed many.
At residence, folks normally get pleasure from this dish with white rice, patis (fish sauce) with sili on the aspect, and one thing crunchy like fried fish lumpia or tuyo (Filipino dried fish). And for those who haven’t had it for breakfast but, attempt it. It’s a type of meals that wakes you up higher than a cup of barako.
How This Sinigang na Sardinas Stands Out
Many variations on-line lean both too fundamental or too rushed. Some recipes simply throw every thing within the pot and boil all of sudden. Mine takes the canned mackerel significantly. I give it room to shine by including the oil again into the broth for additional taste, not simply tossing it apart. I additionally sauté the aromatics correctly as an alternative of boiling them uncooked, which helps construct a stronger broth with no need extra seasoning.
What units this aside much more is using miso with the tamarind combine. I deal with canned fish with the identical respect, so using miso is required. It deepens the broth with out including fishiness, one thing lacking from most short-form recipes.
In case you’re used to the same old pork sinigang or desire quick meals with out shortcuts, you’ll most likely get pleasure from how this model blends effectivity and taste. Subsequent, I’ll information you step-by-step on how I put this all collectively in my kitchen.
Find out how to Prepare dinner Sinigang na Sardinas
- Begin with the bottom – Warmth 3 tablespoons of oil in a big pot. Sauté 2 onions till the layers soften, then stir in 4 thumbs of crushed ginger and eight chopped garlic cloves. Prepare dinner till the garlic simply begins to brown. This step units the tone for the broth.
- Add the physique and aromatics – Toss in 5 chopped tomatoes and stir for 1 minute. Pour the oil from the canned mackerel immediately into the pot, then season with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and ½ teaspoon of floor black pepper. Stir properly to mix every thing earlier than including liquid. These flavors want time within the pot first.
- Construct the broth – Add ¼ cup of miso paste and pour in 1.5 quarts of water. Let it come to a boil to assist the miso soften into the liquid totally. This broth base is now prepared for the heavier greens.
- Prepare dinner the foundation greens – Add 6 ounces of daikon radish and simmer over medium warmth for about 5 minutes. Then stir within the 75 grams of Maggi Magic Sinigang with Gabi powder. This thickens and sours the broth good with out overpowering the opposite elements.
- Layer within the gentle greens – Put in 3 sliced eggplants and boil for two minutes. Comply with up with 12 okra, 4 entire lengthy inexperienced peppers, and 15 trimmed string beans. Stir gently and let the soup attain a boil once more earlier than the subsequent step.
- Add the remaining liquid and mackerel – Pour within the remaining ½ quart of water, cowl the pot, and let it re-boil. Then gently drop within the 45 oz of canned mackerel items. Stir softly to keep away from breaking them aside. You need the fish to remain in massive, scoopable chunks.
- End with greens and remaining seasoning – Add 1 bunch of water spinach (kangkong) and cook dinner for an additional 2 to three minutes. Style the broth and add extra fish sauce or black pepper if wanted. Serve sizzling and eat with rice whereas every thing continues to be piping heat.
Ideas & Methods
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Pressure the mackerel oil earlier than utilizing it. The oil from canned mackerel provides taste, however typically you get small bits of bones or mushy residue. I run it by a small kitchen strainer earlier than pouring it again into the pot. This retains the broth clear and clean with out dropping that wealthy layer of style. Plus, it helps keep away from any fishy bitterness.
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Use miso sparingly for those who’re uncertain. If it’s your first time mixing miso with sinigang, begin with half the quantity and style the broth first. Some miso manufacturers are stronger than others. I’ve tried variations that flip the soup into one thing too earthy, so that is the place small tasting changes matter. When you get used to the flavour, you’ll know the way far you need to go along with it.
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Add kangkong final and by no means early. Leafy greens overcook quick. In case you add them too early, they’ll soften into the broth and depart behind stringy bits. I at all times toss within the kangkong over the past 2 to three minutes and instantly flip off the warmth as soon as they’re tender. That method, they keep recent and brilliant inexperienced.
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Lower daikon radish skinny. This isn’t a tough root like carrot, however it does take time to melt if left in chunks. I slice it thinly, about half a centimeter thick, so it cooks by in 5 minutes with out falling aside. It additionally absorbs the broth higher when it’s thinner, which helps mellow out the sourness.
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Don’t over-stir after including the mackerel. As soon as the fish is within the pot, deal with it gently. Stirring an excessive amount of will break the items and depart you with a mushy soup. I simply use a ladle to slowly combine the broth round it and let the warmth end the job.
What to Have With Sinigang na Sardinas
For Filipinos, sinigang isn’t served by itself. It sits beside a couple of reliable companions on the eating desk. A bowl of sizzling white rice is the obvious, and most crucial, pairing. Some additionally get pleasure from this with crispy danggit or tuyo fried rice for added saltiness and texture. That form of combo makes the bitter broth stand out much more. These work properly as a result of they don’t conflict with the soup’s acid, and so they lengthen the meal for greater households. Apart from these fried rice variations, you can too anticipate a heat bowl of sinigang with something that’s fried. I counsel working with fritters like this tasty Vegetable Okoy or Fried Eggplant Fritters.
If sinigang na sardinas hits your funds and luxury zone, wait till you see how else sardines can shine. These subsequent few dishes come from the identical staple however department out into stews, sautés, and even meat replacements. They’re sensible, good, and rooted in Filipino family habits.
- Ginataang Mackerel with Spinach – This dish blends the richness of coconut milk with the gentle chunk of mackerel. Whereas sinigang builds taste by sourness, ginataan goes the creamy route. In order for you the identical protein with a gentler profile, that is your subsequent finest wager.
- Tortang Noodles at Sardinas – Right here, sardines are reworked right into a fried patty with noodles. Not like sinigang, which is brothy and free, this one’s compact and filling. Give it a shot for merienda or baon that also makes use of canned sardines.
- Burger Steak Sardinas – This recipe kinds patties out of sardines and covers them in a mushroom gravy. It’s a quick, creative tackle quick meals however retains issues inexpensive. In case you’re craving one thing saucy with out going again to soup, this can be a good detour.
- Ginisang Upo with Sardinas – This sauté combines sardines with upo (bottle gourd) in a skinny broth. It shares that broth-like base with sinigang, however it’s much less acidic and extra impartial. Do that whenever you need one thing lighter however nonetheless comforting.
Identical to sinigang na sardinas, all of those recipes show that canned fish isn’t only for emergencies, it could possibly lead the meal. In case you’re working with a funds, or simply brief on prep time, these are dependable go-to dishes that received’t disappoint.
Did you make this? In case you snap a photograph, please make certain tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we are able to see your creations!
Sinigang na Sardinas
A lightweight, tamarind-based Filipino soup utilizing canned fish and loaded with greens
Directions
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Separate the mackerel from the oil utilizing a kitchen strainer. Set each apart.
45 oz mackerel
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Warmth cooking oil after which sauté the onions till the layers separate.
3 tablespoons cooking oil, 2 items onions
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Add ginger and garlic. Proceed to sauté till the garlic begins to brown.
4 thumbs ginger, 8 cloves garlic
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Add the tomatoes. Sauté for 1 minute.
5 items tomatoes
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Pour the oil from the canned mackerel into the cooking pot. Add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and ½ teaspoon of floor black pepper. Stir.
Fish sauce and floor black pepper to style
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Add miso paste and pour 1 ½ quarts of water. Let it boil.
1/4 cup miso paste
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Add the daikon radish. Proceed cooking in medium warmth setting for five minutes.
6 ounces daikon radish
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Add Maggi Magic Sinigang with Gabi. Stir.
75 grams Maggi Magic Sinigang with Gabi
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Add the eggplant. Boil for two minutes.
3 items eggplant
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Add the okra, lengthy inexperienced peppers, and string beans.
12 items okra, 4 items lengthy inexperienced peppers, 15 items string beans
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Pour the remaining water, cowl the pot, and let it re-boil. Proceed cooking for two minutes.
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Put the mackerel into the pot. Gently stir.
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Add the water spinach (kangkong). Prepare dinner for two to three minutes.
1 bunch water spinach
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Season with extra fish sauce and floor black pepper as wanted.
Fish sauce and floor black pepper to style
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Switch to a serving bowl. Serve sizzling.
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Share and luxuriate in!
Notes
- Don’t throw away the mackerel oil. This oil is greater than only a byproduct, it helps carry the fish’s taste throughout the broth. Nevertheless it will also be gritty, so I counsel straining it by a fantastic mesh. This makes the soup cleaner whereas retaining the style full. Use it proper after sautéing the aromatics for higher mixing.
- Decide the proper model of miso. Some miso pastes are salty, others are sweeter. Select white miso in order for you mildness, or yellow for a fuller profile. I normally follow white or yellow for a extra balanced broth.
- Don’t chop your greens too early. In case you’re prepping forward, retailer sliced radish and eggplant in water to maintain them from browning. However maintain kangkong leaves entire and unwashed till the final minute. This retains every thing recent and prevents limp, soggy greens.
- Add extra water provided that wanted. The two quarts within the recipe are cut up for a purpose. Begin with 1.5 quarts and solely add the remainder after the greens soften. This helps management the flavour energy and retains the soup from tasting watered down.
Vitamin Data
Energy: 3076kcal (154%) Carbohydrates: 141g (47%) Protein: 297g (594%) Fats: 151g (232%) Saturated Fats: 33g (165%) Polyunsaturated Fats: 40g Monounsaturated Fats: 61g Trans Fats: 0.2g Ldl cholesterol: 600mg (200%) Sodium: 3964mg (165%) Potassium: 9220mg (263%) Fiber: 49g (196%) Sugar: 58g (64%) Vitamin A: 14859IU (297%) Vitamin C: 289mg (350%) Calcium: 1089mg (109%) Iron: 34mg (189%)
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