Homemade Sinigang Seasoning Packet Recipe

story by KALEA MARTIN photos by GRUBBANA STUDIOS

Those Mama Sita packets have me in a chokehold. Don’t get me wrong, I cook basically everything else from scratch, but when it comes to sinigang and a lot of other Filipino dishes, I do it the way my mom taught me, which is to use a storebought seasoning packet.

Unfortunately, I live nowhere near an Asian supermarket, so anytime I go, I have stock up. And while I don’t mind doing so, sometimes I run out before I have a chance to make the two hour drive (yes, you read that correctly) to the closest H Mart. After one too many times of running out of my life’s blood, I took it upon myself to attempt to DIY sinigang mix at home. Spoiler alert: it’s very easy, and you can make it with ingredients you probably already have at home, or can easily buy from any grocery store.

What’s Inside a Sinigang Packet?

To reverse engineer a storebought sinigang packet, the answer lies on the ingredients listed on the back of the package: Whether you buy Mama Sita, Knorr, or Pamana, the ingredients always include some combination of:

salt, citric acid, tamarind powder, yeast extract or nutritional yeast, tomato bouillon powder, onion powder, black pepper, and soybean oil.

a few other protein-based variables include:

fish protein, hydrolyzed corn protein, and shrimp bouillon powder

and finally, we have our flavor enhancers, which include:

monosodium glutamate (MSG), maltodextrin, Disodium inosinate, and Disodium guanylate

I have no idea what I was expecting to read on the back of the packet, but it certainly wasn’t ingredients that I could find at the grocery store. Good news for us all! I didn’t bother looking for the other flavor enhancers since I think MSG is good enough, but I even managed to find both citric acid as well as nutritional yeast (not to be confused with instant or active yeast, which is for bread) in the baking aisle of my local grocery store.

Can You Substitute Tamarind Powder?

Okay, so it’s a lot harder to find tamarind powder at the store, but you can easily find it online. However, if you don’t want to wait for it to come in the mail, you can also replicate its tartness in sinigang by using other ingredients.

These alternatives work in a pinch:

• 1 part citric acid + 2 parts sugar
• Tajin (works best if you prefer spicy sinigang)

That being said, I highly recommend investing in a bag of tamarind powder, just so you can keep making your own sinigang mix!

Once you’ve gathered all the ingredients, simply combine them in a jar. Store it in your pantry, and you’ll always have sinigang seasoning on hand. Find a full recipe ahead.

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Sinigang Bouillon Recipe (Mama Sita Packet Copycat)

This recipe yields about 3 cups of sinigang mix.

Single Packet Version [click to expand]

• 1 tsp tomato bouillon powder
• ¾ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp shrimp bouillon powder
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1½ tsp MSG
• 1½ tsp citric acid
• 1¼ tsp tamarind powder
  • Or substitute tajin or citric acid + sugar (see notes above)
• 2½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp nutritional yeast

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup tomato bouillon powder
• 3 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp cup shrimp bouillon powder
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• ¼ cup MSG

• ¼ cup citric acid
• ¼ cup tamarind powder
  • Or substitute tajin or citric acid + sugar (see notes above)
• ½ cups salt
• ¾ cups nutritional yeast

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl.
2. Whisk or stir until evenly combined.
3. Use immediately or store in an airtight container.

Note: 4-5 tbsp of this mix is equal to 1 sinigang packet.

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