Sinampalukang Kambing (Goat Meat in Tamarind Soup)

It's my post for Kulinarya Cooking Club's April theme, and it's kind of my first post for the club since I got invited to join the group about two months ago. All I did was read and drool over the other posts while trying to find time to make mine, and finally I did, just in time for this month's theme: Decadence.

I must admit that when I first read it, I thought it had something to do about desserts or sweets because I usually associate the term with cakes and pastries. But further reading down the month's theme post and I found that I can post anything, as long as it is something special. 

My dad hardly buys goat meat because he says it's not widely available yet, and to buy it means to go directly to the makeshift goat farms in the metro and get the meat (or a live animal!) for a higher price compared to other meat, but he does take the chance whenever we pass by the small goat farm near the Las Pinas-Bacoor junction. This time, he bought knuckles and goat pata (hocks), and told us that we would be making sinampalukang kambing. Yippee!

This recipe is exactly how we cooked it, so please don't just copy and paste it in any other blog or website. This version isn't too sour as compared with the usual sinigang, but with just enough tartness to enhance your appetite and make you eat more, so beware to those on a diet! :)

Sinampalukang Kambing Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo goat knuckles and pata
• 250 g tamarind fruit
• 2 medium onions
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 large ginger, about three thumbs in size
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2tsp ground black pepper

Procedure:

1. Cut the onions in half.
2. Peel the ginger and crush lightly with the blade of a knife. Do the same with the garlic cloves.
3. Peel the tamarind fruit and lightly pound with a kitchen mallet, to enable the fruit juices to seep into the broth well.
4. Place the goat meat in a pressure cooker together with the onions, garlic, and ginger, and pour enough water to cover an additional 1 inch above the ingredients.
5. Cook for thirty minutes to tenderize the meat.
6. Remove onions and ginger. Transfer to a deep saucepan and add salt and pepper.
7. Simmer for five more minutes then serve hot.

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