Slow Cooker Sinigang na Corned Beef (Corned Beef in Sour Soup)

Use the slow cooker to make this Filipino favorite soup – Sinigang na Corned Beef (Corned Beef in Sour Soup). The meat comes out so tender and tasty with that unmistakable tangy and zesty flavor! Serve with rice!

Use the slow cooker to make this Filipino favorite soup - Sinigang na Corned Beef (Corned Beef in Sour Soup). The meat comes out so tender and tasty with that unmistakable tangy and zesty flavor! Serve with rice! 

We love our soup soup in the Philippines commonly known as sinigang. It is considered true comfort food! It’s so tasty and full of that sharp tang which traditionally comes from the tamarind juice added to it.  While normally, sinigang is made with either pork or shrimp a few years ago a popular restaurant in Makati (central business district in Metro Manila) introduced sinigang with beef and not just beef – corned beef! When my friend invited me to this restaurant, I was hesitant  to try it at first ’cause I thought it sounded weird and unpalatable. Corned Beef in sour soup, seriously? But, oh boy, was I wrong. It was so good that I knew I have to re-create it somehow.

The attempt to re-create Sinigang na Corned Beef happened to be this year! Yay! I saw that a lot of corned beef brisket were available at the grocery store because St. Patrick’s Day was approaching so I got a 3 pounder for my family. I thought that instead of making the usual corned beef and cabbage this year, why not corned beef sinigang – that way I can celebrate 2 cultures in one occasion – Filipino and Irish!! Win-win!!

Now, as to the question of how sour the dish should be – it is a matter of taste or preference – there is no right or wrong here, no exact measurement. Use your palate as a guide. It can be as sour as you want. If you cannot find Tamarind, no worries you can replace it with with either lime or lemon juice. I have used citrus before and it works perfectly fine.

You can also cook the beef whole like the usual corned beef and cabbage or try it like sinigang, cooked in chunks, which I did. It doesn’t matter what size of shape as it’s cooked in the slow cooker and provided it’s cooked long enough it should come out tender.

If you need to adjust seasoning, salt may be used but in the Philippines we usually use a little fish sauce to flavor it. Or some simply have fish sauce flavored with a bit of bird’s eye chili on the side and sprinkle the dish a little here and there as they eat, just to give it that extra kick. It’s all up to you. Certainly enjoy with rice!!

Sinigang na Corned Beef (Corned Beef in Sour Soup)

Use the slow cooker to make this Filipino favorite soup - Sinigang na Corned Beef (Corned Beef in Sour Soup). The meat comes out so tender and tasty with that unmistakable tangy and zesty flavor! Serve with rice! 
5 from 6 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Filipino
Servings 8

Ingredients
 

  • 3 pounds corned beef brisket or regular Beef Brisket, sliced in 2-inch chunks or left whole
  • 1 lime, juiced (may be substituted with lemon or tamarind paste)
  • 6 cups water
  • 1/2 white or daikon radish, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 6 okra (optional)
  • 3 plum or roma tomatoes, quartered
  • 3 green chilis, mild variety (like Banana Pepper)
  • 2-3 cups spinach leaves, optional
  • Fish Sauce or Salt for seasoning, if needed

Instructions
 

  • If using regular corned beef, make sure to rinse the meat thoroughly under cool water to remove any excess salt. This is highly recommended so you don't end up with a very salty corned beef! 
  • Place the beef in the slow cooker. Pour water and lime juice all over. You may add the pickling spice that goes with the corned beef. Cook on low for 8 hours or until beef is tender.
  • When the beef is already fork-tender, add the radish and okra (if using), tomatoes and mild green chili and continue cooking just until the vegetables are done but not mushy about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt or fish sauce, if needed. Add the spinach leaves just before serving. Ladle into bowls and enjoy with rice!

Notes

Use as many vegetables as you like or only a couple - the above are suggestions and you can use other vegetables too like green beans or even cabbage.
Adjust the level of sourness to your taste preference. I love it really sour so I use more than one lime or lemon but that's a personal preference. Begin with one lime or lemon at the beginning and if it needs some lift, add the extra juice later at the end. The same if using tamarind, begin with 1 tablespoon tamarind paste and adjust later if needed. You can also add extra water if it's too tangy to your taste. 
The use of the spice packet is optional. For a more authentic Asian taste, leave it out. Make sure to rinse the meat several times (thoroughly) to remove any excess salt. It should still be tasty but not salty. 
 
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

 

Last updated on March 13th, 2021 at 08:39 pm

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8 Comments

  1. March 11, 2018 / 4:36 pm

    Hi Abby – I’m going to give this a go. Thanks!
    Cheers
    PS it would be super if you also shared this with everyone at Food on Friday: March.

  2. Jessica
    March 15, 2018 / 8:38 pm

    5 stars
    This sounds delightful! Would I be able to use my leftover corned beef to make it into soup the next day?

    • abigail
      Author
      March 15, 2018 / 9:13 pm

      You certainly can! That’s actually a great idea so you don’t need to wait so long for the meat to become tender. To the meat simply add beef broth, season with lime or lemon juice (as sour as you can tolerate) and then add the veggies suggested or whatever you like and season with fish sauce or salt to taste!!

  3. March 15, 2018 / 10:28 pm

    5 stars
    How interesting! And who would have thought that Philippino Irish fusion could be a thing.
    I used to know a lot of Philippinos when I lived in Athens and the food was just delicious.
    Thank you for teaching me something new today!

  4. MrsRedBucket
    January 27, 2019 / 2:39 pm

    Do you recommend adding Sinigang Mix (I’ve seen in the international market) as well? Or just fish sauce and/or salt to flavor the broth?

    • abigail
      Author
      January 28, 2019 / 9:00 pm

      I haven’t used the sinigang mix because usually it has MSG (or yeast extract) which I try to avoid so I leave that option to you.

  5. Emily R.
    November 3, 2023 / 12:27 am

    5 stars
    First of all, when I make sinigang, I had always used the packets. Also, I would use beef or shrimp. I would never have thought of using corned beef. I always just used that for my St. Patrick’s meal. Well, Now, can say, I’ll be buying corned beef more often. They are usually a large piece of meat. Do you think I would be able to freeze the other half for next time I make this fabulous dish? This is another easy soup recipe I discovered on your blog. As usual, it turned out very good. I did not use hot peppers. My husband and parents cannot stand the heat. It still turned good. If I want it spicy, I would just put some green peppers or cayenne peppers on my own dish. I used lemons and couldn’t find daikon. I never knew it was so easy to make sinigang from scratch. I did cut up some lemon so if anybody wanted it a little more sour, they can squeeze it into their bowl. My American husband said that Filipino food is the best. I will be using this recipe instead of buying the packets. Thank you.

    • abigail
      Author
      November 3, 2023 / 2:06 pm

      Yay! I am so happy to read your kind feedback and so delighted you enjoyed this recipe. Glad you’re able to adjust as you needed. Yes, depending on how big your corned beef is, you can freeze the rest and use it when you need to. Just don’t freeze for more than 3 months in order to keep its taste and texture.

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