Pinoy Tom Yum Prawns

Is this Pinoy (our local term for Filipino) Tom Yum Prawns or Thai-inspired Prawns Sinigang? However you would want to call it, it is a simple dish to prepare and cook. It is quite different from your regular Sinigang (the famous, everybody Filipino's favorite sour soup), and not quite the regular Tom Yum (Thai sour soup) either. It is tasty and fragrant. Hubby and kids love it. They each finished their own bowl!

The soup base is made from boiled tamarinds with the sour juice extracted. Just like how we make it for the regular Sinigang. But I changed the "greens" (vegetable and herbs) added to the soup. The regular Sinigang would have tomatoes, KangKong (water spinach), maybe some long beans and okra. Since I do not have these vegetables, (with the rising gas prices, it is just not practical to drive over to the nearest market or grocery to pick up a few items.) I just got some herbs from my balcony "garden" pots - specifically the lemongrass stalk and cilantro; and added them to the soup. The lemongrass and cilantro gives this soup the Thai flavor without the heat and spiciness of Thai soups.

200 gms tamarind, boiled and softened in 1 C water
400 gms prawns, shelled, tails intact
4 C water
5 slices ginger
2 stalks of lemongrass (the white part only), cut into 2", pounded with back of the cleaver
4 T minced garlic
8 button mushrooms, sliced
4 finger chillies (siling haba)
salt or fish sauce (patis) to taste
1 bunch cilantro or coriander leaves (wansuy)

1. Extract the tamarind juice. Discard the pulp and the solids. Or just use ready made packets of Tamarind extract (Sinigang mix).

2. In a pot, boil the tamarind juice with 4 C of water. Add the ginger, garlic and lemongrass stalk.

3. Let boil for 2 -3 minutes. Then add the finger chillies and the button mushrooms. You can cut the finger chillies if you want your soup spicy. Leave it whole if you want the soup less spicy.

4. Add the prawns. Soup is cooked when all the prawns change color. Add fish sauce or salt to taste. Adjust amount to your preference. Serve hot with lots of rice.


My other Sinigang (Sour Soup) recipes:

Milkfish in Tamarind Soup (Sinigang na Bangus sa Sampalok)

Milkfish in Wild Mangosteen Soup (Sinigang na Bangus sa Santol)

Prawns in Tamarind Soup (Sinigang na Hipon sa Sampalok)





This dish is my entry to the Grow Your Own, a twice-a-month food event, started by Andrea of Andrea's Recipes. This event features plants and produce we grow or raise ourselves and the dishes we cook with these homegrown fresh produce. Host for this edition is Jessica of Finny Knits. To see the previous array of produce and dishes around the world, please check out Jugalbandi's beautiful site.