Sinantomas— Quezon province’s easy and delicious version of the famous caldereta/kalderata.
Thinking about the Filipino cuisine is really a wonderful thing and is a seemingly endless adventure because even when you’re an adult, you still manage to discover new dishes here and there, and they all do not disappoint when it comes to the presentation and the taste.
With that being said, here is a pork dish that is quite familiar, but is not known to some yet—the Sinantomas! It is a delicious type of pork stew that you can easily make at home, so try it out now by reading the recipe article below, as there are also some tips and some trivia that might help you out.
What is Sinantomas?
The Sinantomas is quite a popular dish that the people who hail from the Quezon province are proud of. This dish is traditionally made out of pork ribs that are marinated in ingredients such as pineapple juice, soy sauce, banana ketchup or tomato sauce, and sometimes, even cheese.
This is a pork stew that is similar to pork kaldereta. In addition to that, ingredients like potatoes, green peas, bell peppers can be added to the stew to add more flavor and color.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Pork
For this dish, we will be using the spare ribs cut of the pork. We want that full meaty flavor coming from the bones and the tender meat.
Ketchup
This dish is a type of stew which uses banana ketchup as the main ingredient of the sauce for the particular recipe, but if you prefer other ingredients other than the banana ketchup, you can use fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce as a substitute, and it will still be as delicious.
If you want the taste to be a little bit flexible, you can combine any of the said ingredients.
Aside from these, we will also be using other regular pantry ingredients like onion, garlic, potato, pineapple juice, soy sauce, salt, black pepper, and cooking oil. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Cooking Pan (Kawali)- Menudo is a one-pan dish and you will be doing the whole cooking process in the same cooking pan. Any size will do but make sure all the ingredients involved will fit the pot.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How to Cook Sinantomas
If it’s your first time to try cooking the Sinantomas, don’t worry as it is not really an overwhelming dish to cook.
It is very much similar to dishes like beef caldereta, or pork mechado, since this is a type of stew after all. The only difference when it comes to preparing is you need to marinade the pork first in pineapple juice along with the other ingredients to add depth to the flavor of the pork.
So after the marinating, first thing we’re going to do is to cook the potatoes first. Once their color turns a bit light brown, you can set them aside in the meantime. Then saute the garlic, onions, and tomatoes, then proceed to add the pork ribs. Let it cook for a couple of minutes and then put in your spices.
Afterwards, you’re going to add the reserved marinade and the broth. You can add a little bit more of banana ketchup if you like. The pork has to be tender to be able to enjoy this dish fully, so it will take quite some time when cooking this.
Once you know that the pork ribs are tender, the dish is almost done. Toss back the potatoes into the pot. And for the final touches, add the green peas and cook for another three to five minutes. And as simple as that, it’s done!
How to Serve Sinantomas
It is best to serve sinantomas warm during any lunch or dinner. I suggest that you always pair it with freshly cooked white rice, it is a full meal in itself.
How to Store and Reheat Sinantomas
In case you have leftovers, transfer to a clean food container with lid. You can refrigerate this to extend the shelf life for 3 to 4 days. To reheat, you can use a microwave oven or over a stove top. Reheat over medium heat until warm enough to eat.
Other Filipino Pork Recipes
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Authentic Sinantomas Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pan
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) pork spare ribs, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
- 1 pc onion, chopped
- 1 head garlic, minced
- 2 pcs medium-sized potato (or sweet potato/ kamote), cut into cubes
- 2 pcs tomato, chopped
- 1 ½ cups pineapple juice
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup banana ketchup
- 1 cup green peas, optional
- 1 ½ cups pork stock, or water
- 6 tbsp cooking oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add in the pork spare ribs, pineapple juice, soy sauce, banana ketchup, and salt and pepper.
- Mix until well-incorporated and marinate for at least 1 to 3 hours or longer. Reserve the marinade after.
- In a cooking pan, pour in and heat the cooking oil over medium heat.
- Add-in the potatoes. Cook until lightly browned. Set aside.
- Add-in the garlic and onions. Saute until soft and fragrant.
- Add-in the tomatoes. Saute for another 2 minutes or until soft.
- Pour-in the pork stock then add in the pork spare ribs, and the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil.
- Set to low heat and simmer for 40 to 60 minutes or until the pork meat is tender.
- Add-in the green peas and add the potatoes back in. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving tray or serving plate. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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