Ginisang Monggo (Sauteed Mung Beans)
Royce asked me to cook beans for dinner but wasn’t able to ask him of what beans he wanted. I have red, white, mung and black beans in our storage. Red beans are commonly known as chili beans, white are those we usually find in canned pork and beans, mung beans are the most popular seeds in the country and are also called munggo or monggo, lastly, black beans are popular American legumes. Since I was craving for something sauteed in shrimp paste, I took the Mung Beans for Ginisang Monggo or Sauteed Mung Beans. Another traditional way to cook Mung Beans is by boiling the seeds with ginger and fish paste. But I like sauteing monggo or mung beans in tomatoes and shrimp paste more.
I know it takes time to get acquainted with the taste of Filipino food just like how I am trying to acquire the Mexican flavor of chili, Japanese spirit in wasabi and Indian savor of cumin. Filipino food are mostly highly-flavored with fish sauce, fish paste, soy sauce, vinegar, shrimp paste, salt and tomato sauce. We feast our dishes that are highly-seasoned because we, all the time, eat them with our staple food which is rice. If I may say, only few Pinoys could eat a slab of steak without rice – Filipinos would always have rice on the plate.
GINISANG MONGGO (SAUTEED MUNG BEANS)
2 tbsp. cooking oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
2 tbsp. shrimp paste (alamang)
1/4 kilo pork cubes
2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
4 cups water (or more)
1 tsp. fish sauce (patis)
2 cups monggo or mung beans, washed with running water and drained
salt to taste
Heat large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Swirl in cooking oil then add pork. Cook until light brown. Set aside pork.
Sautee garlic, onion and tomatoes, stirring often, until tomatoes are softened, about 5 minutes.
Add shrimp paste, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.
Add pork cubes back into the pan. Then, add green beans, cooking them about 3 minutes.
Then, pour water. Cover and simmer, stir occasionally, until the beans are quite tender and the stew has thickened somewhat, about 30-40 minutes.
Season with fish sauce and salt to taste.
Serve with steamed white rice.
* Ginisang Monggo (Sauteed Mung Beans) is best with fried tilapia or bangus.
Variations:
* Add ampalaya (bitter gourd) leaves a minutes before removing from heat.
* Add sliced ampalaya (bitter gourd) 3 minutes before removing from heat.
onez, patikimin mo ako nito…hehhehhee…I really miss fish sauce and everything Filipino in cooking veggies.Looking forward to it.
[...] is another way of preparing mung beans or monggo. This recipe is easier to cook than the Sauteed Monggo Beans that I posted previously. Just place all the main ingredient in a pot with water, boil it, wait [...]
This looks similar to a local favorite of mine in Iloilo. I guess what’s missing here would be the Quash and the “alogbati”.
@ allen, i will surely check that one! and i also look forward to visit your province…