Corned Beef Sinigang – Brisket in Tamarind Stew – Instant Pot + Stovetop
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I cooked this Corned Beef Sinigang – Brisket in Tamarind Stew in the Instant Pot, for our St. Patrick’s Day meal inspired by sinigang soup we had in Manila. There were heavy monsoon rains,that time we were in the Philippines. So, it was a relief to seek shelter in a restaurant as we savored the piping-hot tamarind stew, with the tender beef slices and the crisp vegetables. I promised myself I would recreate that corned beef sinigang soup once we returned to our home in America.
As I write this, it is still snowing and brutally chilly here on the northeast, even if it’s March and spring is around the corner. This all-in-one meal in a tangy broth will keep us warm us on March 17th, St. Paddy’s day.
It was a few weeks before St. Patrick’s Day when we moved to our home here in America years ago . One of our American neighbors taught me how to cook corned beef brisket in brine and beer, a traditional dish for most Irish-Americans. It was my first experience with corned beef that did not come in cans, as Filipinos are familiar with.
I was curious as to why Irish-Americans served corned beef with cabbage on St. Paddy’s Day. When the Irish first landed in America, corned beef cuts were cheaper to buy. So, for generations, corned beef was the meal for Irish-Americans on this holiday, according to an Irish cookbook.
Corned beef brisket here in the States are sold with spice packets. I made my own spice blend. Then, I simmered the corned beef in tamarind broth, or sinigang to Filipinos. This is a hearty dish that is best for big family gatherings. I used the Instant Pot which cut cooking time in more than half. As soon as the soft, succulent corned beef slices and vegetables were in the tart broth, the gastronomic experience was well worth the wait.
Corned Beef Sinigang - Brisket in Tamarind Stew - Instant Pot + Stovetop
Equipment
- Instant Pot or any brand multicooker: 6 quarts or 8 quarts
- Large Stock pot or Dutch Oven: 10 or 12 quarts (if cooking stove-top)
Ingredients
- 4 pounds corned beef brisket (in brine) beef cut is Camto in the Philippines
For Spice Blend
- 1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 Tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 3 pieces bay leaves crumbled
- 1 Tablespoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 6 to 8 cups beef broth (or water) enough to cover brisket
For Sinigang - Tamarind Stew
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 whole onion chopped
- 2 large tomatoes quartered
- 1 Tablespoon patis (fish sauce)
- 8 cups beef broth
- 2 Tablespoons tamarind liquid concentrate
- 1 cup sliced long green beans cut into 2-inch length pieces
- 2 large Asian eggplants sliced
- 6 pieces red radish stems removed, sliced in halves
- 2 cups kangkong (water spinach) or baby spinach stems trimmed for kangkong
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 piece fresh lemon sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- boiled rice for serving
Instructions
In the Instant Pot: To soften the corned beef brisket and cook with the spice blend: (Step 1 of Option 1 - to tenderize beef)
- Wash the corned beef brisket in running water to remove the brine. Discard the brine of the package. Place the brisket in the inside pot. Combine the spice blend ingredients and add them to the brisket. Pour the broth over the meat and spices. Liquid should be enough to cover the meat.
- Lock the lid. Set valve to Sealing. Press the Meat/Stews button on the keypad. Cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes.
- When the timer buzzes, click Cancel. Do a Natural Pressure Release (NPR) by turning the valve to face you. Wait 5 minutes for pressure to come down on its own.Open lid carefully. Remove the softened meat and set aside. Discard the liquid.
To cook the Sinigang in the Instant Pot (Option 1)
- Click Saute on the keypad. Add the vegetable oil to the inside pot. When oil is hot enough in 1 to 2 minutes, saute the garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Stir around for 2 minutes. Then add the patis (fish sauce).Hit Cancel to turn off the Saute function.
- Add the cooked corned beef brisket to the inside pot. Pour the broth and tamarind liquid concentrate.Add the long green beans, eggplants, radish, lemon slices. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Close and lock the lid. Set the valve to Sealing. Press Meat/Stews and cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes.When timer buzzes, do a Quick Release. Open the lid carefully.
- Add the kangkong (spinach) and cabbage. Stir to blend ingredients. Cover and press Keep Warm for 5 minutes to cook the leafy greens.Click Cancel to turn off. Unlock lid carefully. Serve piping-hot with boiled rice.
Notes on the Instant Pot
- After the initial Saute, it takes about 17 minutes for the Instant Pot to preheat before the High Pressure cooking time begins. For other multi-cooker brands, please consult the product manual.
To cook on the stove-top (Option 2)
- Combine the brisket and spice blend ingredients in a large, deep stockpot or Dutch oven. Pour enough broth or water to cover the brisket.Cover the stockpot. Boil then simmer for 5 to 6 hours till meat is tender. When beef is soft, set aside and discard the liquid.In the same stockpot, saute the garlic, onions, tomatoes and patis. Add the corned beef , tamarind, broth and vegetables. Cook for 40 minutes.
Cook's comments:
- In the Philippines, the beef cut used is called camto. For best results, use brisket or camto cuts which have enough fat marbling.In other Filipino sinigang recipes, daikon radish is used. Feel free to use when available.
Copyright Notice
- Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]Disclosure: Instant Pot is the brand name of a multi-cooker that cooks in high and low pressure. I was not paid by the Instant Pot company to mention the product or brand nor endorse it. This is not an ad. My views and opinions are my own.
Nutrition
Did you like this recipe? I have more Filipino Instant Pot recipes in my newest cookbook Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Cooking in A Multicooker Pot. Buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com – sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.
Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
Disclosure: Instant Pot is the brand name of a multi-cooker that cooks in high and low pressure. I was not paid by the Instant Pot company to mention the product or brand nor endorse it. This is not an ad. My views and opinions are my own.
