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