Nine out of ten Filipinas will claim they know how to cook sinigang. But do they really know how? I figured out how to find out the truth with a simple test.

When one of my sons introduced a girlfriend to the family years ago, we were delighted when she said she loved to cook and was her family’s regular kitchen helper. She volunteered to assist in preparing dinner next time she visited, promising us a meal of mechado and sinigang. We agreed to have all the ingredients ready and waiting for her.

True enough, she came the following Sunday, complete with an apron and a hairnet to keep her long hair away from the stove and the chopping board. As promised, I went to the market to purchase ingredients for the two dishes. Pork belly chunks were washed and ready to cook, as were slices of bangus for sinigang.

For mechado, there were potatoes, carrots, green and red bell peppers, onions, garlic, bay leaves and celery. The sinigang veggies included okra, eggplant, radish, kangkong, sitaw, onions and tomatoes. She helped peel, slice and chop the vegetables and grouped them in individual bowls. Also in separate bowls were tomato sauce, green mangoes and kamias fruit.

She confidently told me to leave her alone in the kitchen as she could handle everything from then on.

It was mid-afternoon when I left her alone. We had planned on an early dinner, so we set the table for the entire family, anticipating a memorable feast.

We were alarmed when she rushed out of the kitchen in panic, almost in tears. There were ingredients missing, she said.

I was surprised, because I knew I bought and took home all the ingredients necessary. Then she said I forgot to buy packets of sinigang and mechado mix, without which she could not cook our dinner.

When I pointed out that the green mangoes and tamarind were for souring the sinigang, she was surprised and confessed that she did not know that. She was not aware either that the tomato sauce in the kitchen was for the mechado.

I asked her how she usually cooked mechado and sinigang and she said she would boil the meat in water until tender, add the veggies and packed mix, and cook until done. For sinigang, she boiled the vegetables together until almost done, then she stirred in the fish and sinigang mix. Never had she used mango or kamias in sinigang.

I showed her how to cook the mango in water, then mash the fruit to extract the flavor and pour the mash into the sinigang. The same method is used for kamias.

As to the mechado, the secret is in browning the meat in its own fat with garlic, onions and tomatoes before boiling it in water for more flavor.

Mixes are heaven sent, but having used them for decades, I cannot imagine life without mixes. They are my go-to when cooking for surprise guests. Mixes are also a great way to introduce kids to the kitchen. But nothing beats food cooked the way it should be.

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