Sinigang mix substitutes

The closest rebuild of the packet, because it addresses all three of the things the packet does instead of only the sourness.

Best for

sinigang na baboy, sinigang na hipon, sinigang na bangus, any recipe written around a sachet

This is genuinely close, and the main difference is that the broth is cleaner and slightly less glossy than the packet version. Add the tamarind in two stages, half at the start and half near the end, tasting as you go, since concentrates vary hugely in strength between brands. Southeast Asian tamarind concentrate is thick and very sour; Indian tamarind paste is often saltier; Thai tamarind paste is usually sweeter, so start with less of that one.

The original method the packet was invented to replace, and unambiguously the best-tasting version if you have twenty minutes and a Filipino or Indian grocery nearby.

Best for

sinigang na baboy, sinigang na hipon, special occasions, anyone who wants to know what sinigang is supposed to taste like

Boil the pods or the lump in a cup or two of the broth for ten minutes, mash them against a sieve with the back of a spoon, then return the strained liquid and discard the fibre and seeds. The broth comes out fruitier, more fragrant and less sharply one-note than the packet, and slightly cloudier. Because there is no salt in it at all, you must season separately or the soup will taste watery, which is the exact trap the packet hides.

Not a tamarind substitute so much as a switch to a different regional sinigang, and a very good one when there is citrus in the house and nothing else sour.

Best for

sinigang na isda, shrimp and fish sinigang, quick weeknight versions, sinigang sa kalamansi

The soup comes out bright, sharp and perfumed rather than deep, fruity and slightly musky, so it reads as a citrus soup rather than a tamarind one. It works far better with fish and shrimp than with pork. Add the juice at the very end and off the heat, because boiled citrus turns bitter and loses its aroma within a couple of minutes.

The regional Filipino souring agents, each of which has its own named version of the dish, so this is a substitution with a proper pedigree rather than a compromise.

Best for

sinigang sa mangga, sinigang na hipon, fish sinigang, cooking with whatever the market has

Green mango gives a fruity, slightly resinous sourness and a thicker broth as the flesh breaks down. Kamias is sharper and cleaner, closest to tamarind in intensity, and the most authentic of the three. Tomatoes alone are much weaker and only get you a mildly tart soup, so use them alongside another souring agent rather than instead of one. None of these contain salt, so season separately.

A near-equivalent shortcut sold in Thai, Vietnamese and Indian shops, already carrying salt and seasoning the way the Filipino sachet does.

Best for

sinigang na baboy, any sachet-based recipe, cooking without a Filipino grocery nearby

These are usually sweeter and often carry lemongrass, galangal or chilli that will pull the soup toward tom yum territory. Read the ingredients and taste the broth at half strength before committing. Because they are salted like the Filipino packet, do not add extra salt until you have tasted.

The honest bottom of the list, for when nothing sour in the house came off a tree.

Best for

weeknight pork or fish soup, no shops open, using up cupboard staples

Vinegar is sharp and acetic rather than fruity, so the broth tastes thin and pointedly sour instead of round, and it lacks the tamarind musk entirely. The tomato paste adds a little body and colour and genuinely helps. Add the vinegar late and let it bubble for a couple of minutes to cook off the harshest edge. Nobody will mistake this for sinigang, but it will be a good sour soup.