Ginisang Munggo (Sauteed Mung Beans) and a Bunch of Awards

Munggo or Mung Bean which is the small, ovoid in shape variety of beans is a favorite ingredient in the Philippines. It comes in brown, yellow and green color. The brown is usually used for desserts, while the yellow and green ones are commonly used for this savory dish called Ginisang Munggo (Sauteed Mung Beans).

Ginisang Munggo which is usually cooked with shrimps or flaked fish and bitter gourd tendrils, is traditionally served on Fridays, as the majority of the Filipino population are Roman Catholic and abstain from meat on Fridays, even outside of Lent. I love cooking it any day of the week though!  And I usually cook it with shrimps and crispy pork belly, and since bitter gourd tendrils aren't available here, I use spinach leaves instead.

It is one dish I grew up eating frequently. Not only do I enjoy the ginisang munggo, I also enjoy eating the freshly boiled munggo with sugar and milk for snack. So whenever my mom was cooking ginisang munggo, she would always save a bowl of the boiled munggo for me.

For non-Filipinos, this may not look so appealing, but we Filipinos really love it...and I'm telling you, whenever we cook it, it always doesn't last very long on the table!!!

Check out my Ginisang Munggo recipe and let me know what you think!

I'm sharing this on Mangia Mondays, Mouthwatering Mondays, Hearth and Soul Hop Hub, Temp My Tummy Tuesdays, Tuesdays At The Table, Delectables Tuesdays and Tasty Tuesdays.

Ingredients:

• 1 14-oz. pack green Munggo (Mung Beans)
• ½ lb pork belly, sliced in ½ “- thick rectangles
• 10-12 pcs shrimps, peeled and deveined
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
• 1 thumb-sized ginger, julienned
• 1 medium-sized tomato, diced
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 12 cups water
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil or pork oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Sprinkle pork belly with salt. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.

2. In a large sauce pan, combine water and munggo, and bring to a boil over medium heat. When boiling, add a tablespoon of salt, and lower heat to medium low. Keep on cooking until beans are soft and outer shells are separating.

3. In a skillet, cook sliced pork belly in ½ cup water until water evaporates and oil starts to come out. Turn heat to low and while constantly tossing, cook pork until golden brown. Remove pork from pan and set aside. 

4. In the same skillet, saute tomatoes, ginger, onions and garlic until the tomatoes are soft.

5. Add shrimps and sauté just until shrimps turn to light pink. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. 

6. Transfer everything to the saucepan with boiled munggo. Add fish sauce. Add salt & pepper to suit your taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

7. Add the spinach and crispy pork belly. Simmer for a minute or two.

8. Remove from heat! Serve with steamed rice! We love eating this with fried galunggong (Mackerel Scad).

On another note, my dear friends, Lyn of My Lil Messy & Cheeky and Manu of Manu's Menu showered me with this bunch of awards which I'm truly so thankful for:

Once again, I feel so happy and honored! Though this isn't the first time I received these awards, knowing that there are people out there who believe in me and who consider me as their friend is truly so overwhelming! Manu and Lyn are two of those few bloggers who I consider close to my heart. Not only do I admire their blogs and their passion for cooking, but much more, the goodness in them. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank Lyn & Manu for these awards! I really feel so blessed to have known them!

For those of you who haven't visited their blogs, do so now...I'm telling you, you won't regret it! 

Manu's Menu and My Lil Messy & Cheeky - you'll love them!