This traditional soup is also known as sinigang. Pork chops are simmered with tomatoes and green beans in a tamarind flavoured soup base. It's perfect served with rice.
Tamarind soup mix is also known as sinigang sa sampalok (original). You can buy it in Oriental shops or online.
The way my grandmother taught me to cook sinigang is to never use ginger for the meat version of this dish, only for fish or shrimp. Also, using pork chop lends to the meat getting a bit too tough. Better to use neck bone or pork belly with some rib meat. The latter tends to be a bit fatty, but that's part of the dish's character. Lastly, you can opt not to cook the onion and meat in oil, just put the meat, onion, tomatoes, salt, and water in the pot until the meat starts getting tender. Then add the gabi (taro). Put in a hot pepper or two when the taro starts to soften. By the time the meat is cooked, the taro should be almost done, too, so no need to take them out. This is the time to add the tamarind soup mix. If added too early, the meat absorbs it, and the broth ends up not being too tangy, and the meat ending up tangy (for fish and especially shrimp, the soup base is added EARLIER). Add the green long beans; you can also add water spinach (you can get these at most Asian stores). Also, the best thing to eat with sinigang is rice that's NOT newly cooked. If you're having sinigang for dinner, make sure to make the rice at least two hours before (I make mine by lunch) and let it cool off a bit. You can microwave. - 30 Apr 2012 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
Pork sinigang is my absolute favorite filipino dish. One of the most delicious things about sinigang is that you can add almost any kind of leafy green vegetable like bok choy, baby bok choy, or spinach. My family has always included a lot of green vegetables. In addition, we add radishes. Lots of radishes. Then the end result is a full complete meal. Try using pork country ribs as well which is absolutely delicious. - 22 Jan 2011 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
I cooked this for my fiancee and he loved it! Thanks for sharing this recipe! - 24 Jul 2010 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)