Ginisang Munggo or Sautéed Mung Bean is a delicious and nutritious Filipino dish that’s often cooked with Tinapa or pork belly cubes, tomatoes, and chili pepper leaves. It’s great to know that pork can also be used as an alternative to Tinapa, and that adding lean pork is a healthier option.
Substituting spinach leaves for chili or bell pepper leaves is also a great alternative, especially if the latter is not readily available. Spinach leaves provide a fresh and nutritious addition to the dish, and can be easily found in most grocery stores.
Mung beans are a great source of protein, fiber, and essential nutrients, making Ginisang Munggo a healthy and filling meal option. It’s great to see how Filipino cuisine incorporates different types of proteins and vegetables to create unique and flavorful dishes.
Ingredients: 3-4 servings
1 cup dry mung beans
2 quarts water
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 large, sliced tomato
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 lb smoked fish(Tinapa) shredded in bite sizes
1 cup pork belly in cubes(optional)
1 bunch fresh spinach, stems trimmed
Cooking Instructions:
- Sort through dried mung beans, discarding any bad ones. Rinse them on a strainer with running water. This will remove fallen skins that dried up from the beans. Drain well and set aside.
- On a large pot, pour water on the dried munggo beans over a medium heat temeprature. Bring it to boil, while skimming extra dried froths floating on the boiling water.
- Cover pot with its lid, continue to boil mung beans for 45-50 minutes until munggo beans soften. Add more water if needed to maintain water level for the soup base.
- On a different pot, heat up cooking oil and sauté onions, garlic and tomatoes. Season it with fish sauce and stir to cook for at least 2 minutes.
- Combine cooked munggo beans including the sauce. Bring it to a boil, season it with salt and pepper. Try a taste test to ensure dish is not salty, since we already applied some fish sauce to the mix.
- Add the shredded smoked fish(tinapa), continue cooking while stirring occasionally for 5 more minutes.
- Add the spinach leaves, cover pot to cook for a couple more minutes until leaves are fairly wilted. Remove from heat and serve Ginisang Munggo or Sautéed Mung Bean Soup, hot, with steamed rice.
Tip: If you’re using pork belly cubes to the mix, make sure to add it in-between the boiling mung bean soup and sautéed onions and garlic, to ensure proper pork cooking. Once again, drizzling Sautéed Mung Bean Soup with a drop of fish sauce and lime or lemon adds more flavor to taste!