Friday, July 18, 2008

Sinamak (Chile-infused Vinegar)


[ts]
Every Philippine household has chile-infused vinegar in their pantry.

To make it, simply slide down some chile peppers into a bottle of vinegar: either white coconut vinegar or amber cane vinegar (and probably a lot more types besides).

You can stop there or add black peppercorns and garlic.

This go-to condiment is GREAT for a myriad of different foods.


From snack items like kropek (seen here) and chicharon (which refers to both shrimp chips and pork rinds; oooh, pork rinds!)...

to any grilled food, be it seafood (like prawns or fish), pork or beef (like this beef tapa)...

to anything rich, fatty and unctuous; such as lechon (pork belly)...

of course, it's classic with longganisa, and even with Philippine-style pork "BBQ",

and even boiled or steamed seafood, especially crustaceans...

These are just off the top of my head. Am I missing anything?


[eatingclub] vancouver Filipino food
Bibingka
Mama's Ampalaya (Bitter Melon)
Faux Kamote-Que
Philippine-Style Chicken "BBQ"
Fried Hasa Hasa (Mackerel)
"Savory" Chicken Wings
Sinamak (Chile-infused Vinegar)
Pan-roasted Halibut w/ Fava Beans, Potato-Onion Cakes & Bagoong Butter Sauce
Bulalo & Bangus: an even simpler Filipino meal
Baked Tahong (Mussels)
Adobo Kangkong (Adobo Water Spinach)
Oyster Torta (Oyster Omelette)
Chicken Tinola (Chicken Soup w/ Green Papaya & Pepper Leaves)
(Chinese) Roast Pork Belly / Lechon
Tilapia wrapped in Banana Leaves
Pork Belly, Two Ways
Chicken Adobo
Embutido
Salabat (Ginger Tea)
Lechon Manok (Philippine Roast Chicken) & Lechon Sauce
"Chinese Adobo" Clams and Oysters
Bistek (Citrus Beef with Caramelized Onions)
Beef Kaldereta (Beef Stew with Bell Peppers)
Atsara (Green Papaya Pickle)
Sardinas na Bangus (Milkfish in the style of Sardines) and Pressure Cooker Fear


13 comments:

  1. I had no idea this thing was called sinamak. It's all about having this with freshly fried kropek for sure :)

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  2. Some of these are quite new to me :)

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  3. this is great with chicharon!!! sarap!

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  4. Have u tried a splash of sinamak on the salted eggs and tomatoes dish?

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  5. jude: I have to issue a disclaimer for the term. I have heard people using the term for this, but only recently. Up till two years ago, we just called it "yung suka at sili."

    joseph: I love this on eggs (sunny side up, especially), but have yet to try it in salted eggs and tomatoes. I can imagine it being good though.

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  6. I love making infused oils, but I've never tried an infused vinegar. Does it matter what kind of peppers I use?

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  7. Every Filipino I know has a bottle of suka at sili in their pantry. I love to drown my grilled pork chops with it.:)

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  8. i've heard the word sinamak but didn't realize it refers to this, we call it sukang paombong! haha! which is what i have in my cupboard now but i need the plain suka to nurse my soar throat...of course with honey:) have you heard about this? it does work for me...only during the onset of soar throat...
    hey where are you in Vancouver? my brother's in Richmond B.C. and he and SIL are telling me about the Daza's store there...wala lang:)

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  9. This counts among grilled food, but chicken inasal comes to mind :) Horror of horrors, we don't have this at home. If something comes up, we just make a fresh single bowl. 'Nother confession-- I'm not a fan of vinegar-- it has to be tamed with soy sauce for me ;)

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  10. I've never heard of this type of vinegar ... it looks so pretty with the goodies inside and it's so versatile! ;)

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  11. I've been thinking of making my own flavoured vinegar and olive oil for quite a while now. Maybe this is the nudge I need ;)

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  12. I like the sound of chilied vinegar!

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  13. Sinamak is the Ilonggo (from Iloilo or more specifically, Hiligaynon dialect in the Visayas) word for the chile spiced vinegar. Most Ilonggo chicken recipes incorporate it at some point. Ever eaten at the restaurant chain Bacolod Chicken Inasal? One ingredient for the great chicken flavor is vinegar.

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