“What if sinigang, but egg?” Like the majority of my food experiments, these things usually get started with an invasive thought and no roadmap. Do I poach an egg in sinigang? Should I steam it in a sinigang bath? Would it work if I scrambled it with sinigang powder?

But no. Instead, I applied a tried and tested cooking method to the experiment: boiling and then marinating them. After debating on whether or not I should make my own sinigang from scratch and marinate the eggs in the soup, I realized there was a much faster way to go about things—using instant sinigang powder.

*I used a ziplock bag to make sure the eggs were completely soaked in the marinade. I squeezed out all the air and put it in a shelf in my fridge for three days. Agitating it every day also helps.*

Purists would scoff at me, but it is what it is. I needed an intense concentration of sinigang flavors that would seep into the egg. If I had the luxury of time and energy (which I can only dream of at this point in my life), I would have gone the traditional route. But alas, I must make do with what I have, and what I had ended up amazing.

Much like sinigang in traditional form, making sinigang eggs is a very straightforward process. Take one small pouch of the sinigang premix of your choice, add 2 tablespoons of patis, a cup of water, and marinate for at least two days.

*If you look closely, there’s a light ring of brown where the marinade made its way into the egg. There’s a lot of flavor that’s densely packed in the outer surface of the egg.*

Instead of serving it by itself or over plain rice, I decided to make tutong na kanin bites. I fried up a few day-old black rice patties in bacon fat (I know, not the best recipe if you’re looking out for your cholesterol) until they browned and popped at the bottom. I topped it off with quarters of the sinigang egg and ate everything that took me five days to make in two minutes.

The marinated egg is distinctly salty-sour and absorbed the seasoning and patis really well. If you want a stronger flavor, you can leave it in for up to five days (which will pucker your lips). You can also adjust the recipe depending on whether you like patis or not.

The decision to use tutong na kanin as a base was a last-minute decision that I’m happy to have made. I used black rice, but you can use any high moisture rice you want. I initially used brown rice but everything just fell apart because the rice was too dry. Also, make sure to be careful when frying up the rice because the oil pops like crazy.

Using tutong as a base helped diversify the texture. It delivered some much-needed crunch to a potentially overly jammy bite. Frying it in bacon fat is awful for your health, but tastes amazing. The bacon fat doesn’t come out strong, but it gives a whisper of richness to the whole thing.

This could potentially be a great appetizer for parties or a snack while drinking with friends. For now though, it’s a successful food experiment I’m happy to share with everyone.