Ginisang Munggo (Monggo)

Name: Ginisang Munggo (Monggo)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups Mung beans; 1 tbsp garlic; ½ lb pork (thinly sliced); 2 cups spinach (or alugbati); 1 piece tomato (chopped); 1 piece onion (chopped); 8 pieces shrimp (optional); 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 24 ounces water (for boiling); 1 piece Knorr beef cube (for flavoring); 1/2 cup crushed pork rind (chicharon); 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Some dishes in a certain cuisine are known to best describe the feeling of home-cooked meals from that particular country. For the Philippines, it can range from sinigang to fried bangus to longganisa. But Ginisang Munggo is perhaps one of the best standout dishes that can definitely bring to you the comfort of a Filipino…

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By: Vanjo Merano 19 Comments Published: 7/25/21

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It has a subtle, savory taste, and a satisfyingly tender texture. The mix of softened munggo or Mung beans with spinach, tomatoes, onions, and pork definitely make for a tasty and filling lunch meal. And because it mainly banks on so many vegetables to fill the pan, it also has a ton of nutrients like folate and phosphorus.

But if you’re looking for a vegetarian alternative, Ginisang Munggo without meat is also possible. Simply subtract your thinly sliced pork, shrimp and crushed pork rinds from the equation. You can expect an altogether delicious dish even without these meat additions.

Now if you grew up with this dish, you might have noticed something about when this dish is served. I mean, why is Ginisang Munggo cooked on Fridays? Legend has it that this comes from the Lenten season tradition wherein Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays. This is also because Good Friday marks the day of Jesus’ death on the cross. And with Ginisang Munggo being such an established Filipino dish, it became the standard meal to serve on days wherein you can’t have meat. If you want to learn how to make this in your own kitchen, keep reading for the steps!

How to make Ginisang Munggo:

We will start by pouring 24 ounces of water in a pan, which we will boil. Once it starts boiling, you can place your 1 ½ cups of Mung beans inside. Let this simmer until the munggo gets soft. This should take about 35 to 50 minutes. But as you are waiting, you can also prepare the other ingredients you’ll be adding to the mix.

To add some more flavor to our Ginisang Munggo, we will be using 1 tablespoon of garlic, and 1 medium-sized onion and 1 medium-sized tomato, both of which are chopped. Put this in a separate pan, and start sautéing these together. Then incorporate your ½ lb. of thinly sliced pork. Now let all of these ingredients cook up nicely for 5 minutes.

Afterwards, we’ll be adding 1 beef cube and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce for some more savory flavor. You could also use 1 teaspoon of beef powder in the place of the beef cube if this is unavailable. Then we will be letting this simmer for 10 minutes or at least until your meat gets tender. You can also pour in more water to make sure the meat is soft, but make sure that you also simmer for longer.

Now put your 5 to 8 pieces of medium-sized shrimp inside, which is also an optional ingredient. But this can add a mildly sweet and salty taste to your Ginisang Munggo, which can be very complementary to all our flavors! Now stir these all together, and cook the ingredients for 2 minutes.

Adding the Mung beans to the mix:

Let’s grab our cooked munggo from earlier, and also add them to the pan. Start stirring again, and then let the pan simmer for 10 minutes. Then proceed to place your 2 cups of spinach and ½ cup of crushed pork rind or chicharon inside. And for our final touch to tie in all those ingredients together, we will be adding ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper.

You now have a delicious plate of Ginisang Munggo fresh off the pan that’ll be perfect for a party of 6! But you can keep your chef’s hat on, and learn more delightfully nutritious Filipino recipes to serve!

Some yummy and healthy Filipino dishes you should try cooking:

Ginisang Sitaw

Quick, easy, and absolutely tasty, this Ginisang Sitaw is perfect for when you’re craving a delicious vegetable dish. Because it’s full of vitamins and minerals from our colorful set of ingredients, it’s also great for giving you enough energy for the day! Its taste is also something you can’t disregard. Made with heaps of tomatoes, garlic, onion, ground pork, and of course, string beans, it makes for an amazing meeting of salty flavors

Ginataang Monggo

Now if you’d like a sugary way to enjoy your Mung beans, I’d say the perfect recipe to turn to is Ginataang Munggo. Simple, sweet, and irresistible creamy, this uses up heaps of delicious coconut milk, sticky rice, sugar and munggo. And that’s where it ends! You only use four different ingredients for this recipe, but with its flavorful and delightful taste, you’d definitely guess there were more.

What did you think of my Ginisang Munggo recipe? Don’t forget to comment any suggestions or questions below!

Vanjo Merano