Locavore-Inspired Sizzling Sinigang

Time for your cast-iron skillet to shine. This recipe hacks Locavore's signature sizzling sinigang.
Difficulty
Advanced
Servings
2–3 servings
Prep Time
40 Mins
Active Time
30 Mins

When Locavore first opened, it made waves for its novel, well-executed takes on homestyle Filipino cuisine. The establishment continues to dominate countless Instagram feeds, with one dish at the forefront of all the hype: sizzling sinigang.

This dish recalibrates the classic braised dish into a crispy, char-grilled indulgence. Instead of a soup, a thick, sinigang-flavored gravy blankets the dish. The result is an intense yet well-balanced stew-like treat.

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 10 shallots or baby red onions
  • 650g pork belly, cubed
  • 100ml water
  • 1 pack sinigang mix
  • 1 seafood cube
  • 1 bunch kangkong
  • 125g string beans or French beans
  • 12–15 cherry tomatoes
  • 5–10 calamansi
  • 5g cornstarch
1

Roast onions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place red onions in foil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

2

Cook pork: Place cubed pork belly in a pressure cooker with oil and water and cook for 20 minutes. Remove meat and liquid from the pressure cooker. Alternatively, combine pork belly with oil and water in a pot over high heat. Once water is boiling, reduce heat to low and cook pork until fork-tender, at least 40 minutes.

3

Make sinigang: Heat braising liquid in a pot over high heat. Add sinigang mix, seafood cube, and 100ml water. Once the mixture is boiling, blanch kangkong for 30 seconds, then set aside. Blanch beans for 2 minutes; set aside. Let mixture boil, uncovered, until liquid has reduced by half.

4

Make slurry: In a small bowl, combine calamansi and cornstarch. Mix until smooth and add slurry to the pot. Once the liquid starts to thicken, remove from heat and strain through a sieve. Keep warm.

5

Sear pork belly and tomatoes: Heat oil in a pan, ideally cast-iron, over high heat. Add pork belly and sear until all sides are browned. Set aside. In the same pan, roast cherry tomatoes for 2 minutes.

6

Plate and serve: Assemble pork belly, roasted onions, beans,and kangkong on the cast-iron pan or serving plate. Pour sauce on top of the plated dish and serve.

Notes

You can use a toaster to roast the red onions.

You can also tenderize the pork by boiling it in water and oil on a stovetop.

If not using a cast-iron skillet to plate, you can use a regular pan to cook the pork belly, tomatoes, and onions; then assemble on a serving plate instead.

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