Special Seafood Sinigang- Tamarind Seafood Soup

This is not your average Filipino Sinigang, make this for someone special. Like many filipino's I love  sinigang, I had small portions of seafood in my freezer one day and I figure why not put them all together and make this one fabulous soup. A great way to start of the New Year, make sure to add lots of vegetables too. I was hoping to find some clams to add in but where I'm from and during the winter seasons, season just isn't in season.

Ingredients
Seafood- 2 pieces (2oz) Salmon fillets, 4 large shrimp, 4 large mussels, 1/4 cup tiny scallop
Handfull of baby bok choy
1/4 cabbage
1/2 onion diced
thumb size ginger sliced
1 medium tomato- peeled and diced
1 green chilli
5 cups water (1.2 L)
5 tsp chicken powder or shrimp stock
4 tsp Tamarind soup mix
1/2 tsp salt

1. Rinse and dry your seafood. If you are using mussels, I like to remove the intestines. It's black and has an awfull taste. My mussels were large so its best to remove this. If your mussels are small you can keep them and the flavour isn't as pungent. Set aside.

2. In a shallow pot, I am using my Le Creuset Braiser, add 2 tbsp oil and heat on medium. Add the ginger and the onions. You don't need to brown them, you just want to release their flavour and aroma.

3. Add the peeled and diced tomato, stir to combine 3 mins.

4. Pour in the 5 cups of water and the 5 tsp of chicken broth powder. Ensure your chicken powder or bouillon is one for asian cooking or it will alter the flavour of the soup. Or if you have 5 cups of shrimp stock use that or shrimp bouillon. Season with 1/2 tsp of salt.

5. Add your bok choy, green chili and cabagge, allow to boil for 2 mins to allow the stems to cook throughly.

6. Add the 4 tsp of tamarind soup mix and stir to combine. If your asking why add this now and not with the chicken broth. Well my mom told me that apparently if you add the tamarind before the vegetables, the vegetables won't soften....??? Who am I to question her she's been cooking longer than I have. You can add more tamarind mix if you prefer a more sour broth, but I find this measurement to be the best for my family and the little guy loved it.

7. Keeping your stove at medium heat and a steady simmer, not a roaring boil add the seafood. My seafood mainly the salmon, shrimp and mussels were all large so they would cook around the same time. If your seafood are different sizes you may have to add the larger ones first and add the smaller pieces after to ensure everything is cooked evenly. Simmer for 5 mins covered, cook for additional 1-2 mins uncovered if needed.

8. You can serve this directly from the pot at the table.

Enjoy!