FoundationsPhilippinesComponent 17 of 24

Sinamak (Spiced Palm Vinegar)

Sinamak / Sukang Pinakurat

Visayas

Sinamak: a tall unlabelled glass bottle of pale golden, fully transparent spiced palm vinegar with whole chillies, smashed garlic, sliced ginger and peppercorns suspended in it, beside a small dish of the same.

About this component

A pungent spiced vinegar from the Visayas, steeped with garlic, chile, ginger and peppercorns — the sour counterpoint to rich fried and grilled Filipino food. Filipino vinegars are regionally specific; name the type.

Component facts

Yield
About 2 cups (475 ml)
Prep
10 minutes plus 1 week steeping
Heat
Medium

Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (475 ml) palm or coconut vinegar (sukang tuba)
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 4 bird's eye chiles
  • 1 in (2.5 cm) ginger, sliced
  • 1 tbsp (8 g) black peppercorns
  • 1 small shallot, sliced
  • 1 tsp (6 g) salt

Method

  1. Pack the aromatics into a clean, dry bottle.
  2. Pour over the vinegar to cover.
  3. Seal and steep at cool room temperature at least 1 week (longer deepens flavor).
  4. Use as a sharp dipping vinegar.

Notes from the book

Balancing
Sharp and aromatic; the steep mellows the raw vinegar edge.
Substitutions
Cane or cider vinegar for palm vinegar (less funk).
Storage and food safety
Keeps months at cool room temperature or refrigerated; ensure aromatics stay submerged and the bottle is clean.

The Complete Edition

Sinamak (Spiced Palm Vinegar) sits in the foundations

The book carries this component alongside the other twenty-three, the twenty-seven pantry studies, and the Philippines chapter it belongs to.

Available from Amazon

  • Kindle edition — $9.99 (Kindle Store price) — available now
  • Paperback — $49.99 (print list price) — available now

Buy the Kindle editionBuy the paperback

The Philippines chapter

Imagery is produced with generative AI tools and reviewed by the author. It is illustrative, not documentary photography of a finished dish. This recipe is a development draft and is not described as tested. How these images were made.