Sinantomas made of tasty pork ribs and potatoes braised in soy sauce, pineapple juice, ketchup, and cheese. It's easy to make and full of sweet and savory flavors you'll love as an appetizer or main dish.
I have over 550 recipes on Kawaling Pinoy, and yet even with such an extensive archive, I've barely scratched the surface of our Philippine cuisine. Filipino cookery is so rich and diverse; I could be blogging for a hundred years and never run out of meal ideas to discover!
A case in point is this Sinantomas. I uploaded videos to my YouTube cooking channel when this pork dish popped up on my suggested video feed. I've never heard of it before, much less tried it, and with an intriguing combination of ingredients, I just had to make it ASAP and share the recipe with you!
What is Sinantomas
Sinantomas is a Quezon province regional variation of pork kaldereta. It's traditionally made of pork ribs marinated and then braised in a sweet and savory mixture of soy sauce, pineapple juice, ketchup or tomato sauce, and cheese. Like in other versions of kaldereta, an assortment of vegetables such as potatoes, green peas, and bell peppers are also common additions to this hearty stew.
Although both dishes are similar in cooking procedure and a few key ingredients, I find their taste profile a bit different. Kaldereta carries a lot of heat from chili peppers, while Sinantomas has more of a sweet and tangy undertone from the pineapple juice and ketchup in the sauce.
If you ask me what I prefer over the other, I'd say both are hearty, tasty, and amazing with steamed rice!
Cooking tips
- You can use fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, or banana ketchup for the sauce. I went with the latter as I have aย recipe for spare ribsย with ketchup and pineapple that uses the condiment, and I was curious how it would work here. It turned out as delicious as I expected!
- I added potatoes, but I've seen versions of the recipe that uses Japanese yam (camote) instead. I haven't personally tried it, but I think the natural sweetness of the camote would complement the overall taste of the dish well.
- Take the extra step of pan-frying the potatoes so they'll hold their shape and not fall apart when added to the stew.
How to serve
Enjoy this pork stew as an appetizer (pulutan) or as a main dish. Serve with steamed rice for a hearty and tasty lunch or dinner meal!
Storage and reheating instructions
- Transfer to a container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave at 2 to 3-minute intervals to 165 F.
Looking for more delicious flavors from Quezon province? Try hardinera! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork spare ribs, cut into 1 ยฝ inch size
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- ยฝ cup soy sauce
- ยผ cup banana ketchup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ยผ teaspoon pepper
- ยผ cup canola oil
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
- ยฝ cup shredded American processed cheese (I like Eden brand)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine spare ribs, pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, salt, and pepper. Marinate for about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain meat well and reserve liquid.
- In a wide pan over medium heat, heat oil. Add potatoes and cook until lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, remove from pan and set aside.
- Remove oil except for about 1 tablespoon. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened.
- Add pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
- Add reserved marinade and water. Bring to a boil, skimming scum that floats on top.
- Lower heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender.
- Add potatoes and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes or until tender.
- Add green peas and cheese. Continue to cook until green peas are heated, cheese is melted and sauce is reduced.
- Season with additional salt, if needed. Serve hot.
Notes
- You can use fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce in place of ketchup.
- You can substitute Japanese yam (camote) for the potatoes for an extra touch of sweetness.ย
Video
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Naica says
I'm from Quezon province and my dad knows how to cook Sinantomas by heart! I don't know his recipe but I'm willing to try yours ๐
Misyel says
Im not a good cook!!
But this one came out really delicious!!!
Had compliments from family for the first time hahahahah
Lalaine Manalo says
Yay! I'm glad it was a hit!
Linda Mahina says
Can beef be used instead of pork? Delicious recipe though to try out.
Lalaine Manalo says
I haven't tried it with beef, but I think it would work ๐
Carla Gordon says
Thatโs a really great idea adding the combo box so For the servings. I heard that we can add peanut butter? I am not sure what would be the serving size but Iโll try and see how it goes.
mele
Suzette Nolan says
I tried it for our dinner tonight, it's really yum. Thank you for sharing the recipe ๐
Lalaine Manalo says
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
ting says
can i use chicken thigh instead of pork ribs?
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes, you can ๐
Carina says
Economical but good menu
Lalaine says
Yes, this is tasty and budget-friendly ๐
Gerry A. says
Hi. Will this work po ba if I used pork shoulder or pigue instead of the spare ribs? Thanks.
Lalaine says
Yes, other cuts of pork will work, too ๐
June says
My daughters love to eat caldereta but since i don'teat caldereta i am grateful/ thankful that u shared the recipe equuvalebt to the beef but usibg pork. I am sure i will enjoy this one.
Lalaine says
Let me know how it turns out ๐
Toni V.Barrios says
I love to cook our very own Filipino food but sometimes I canโt find the ingredients that I need.Thankfully,an Asian store had opened recently and now I can find most of the ingredients.I miss eating our food and your recipes come in handy for the dishes that Iโm not familiar with.Thank you !
Lalaine says
Enjoy the recipes ๐
Carol Stadel says
I have never heard of banana ketchup, is there a replacement? Or where do I find it??
Thank you looks and sounds delicious. I have all the ingredients except the banana ketchup.
Lalaine says
Hi Carol,
Banana ketchup is the Filipino version of tomato ketchup, it's adapted from the American ketchup but using saba bananas which are more plentiful in the Philippines. You can substitute tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes for the ketchup and just adjust the sweetness to taste. Hope you enjoy it!
Joe Tengco says
This is grate for my family weekend get together. New recipes we can experiment or try together. Thanks.
Lalaine says
You're welcome ๐