Mongo Guisado

Mongo or Mung Beans is also known in different names. It is known as green beans, green gram or green soy. The term "Mung" is the English term for Mongo. It is derive from Hindi term Moong. In the Philippines it is known as Monggo or Munggo. Mung beans are commonly used in Chinese cuisine as well as in Japan, Korea, India, Thailand and Southeast Asia. In the Philippines Monggo beans is commonly sauteed with garlic, onions, and meat.


I'm always planning to cook Monggo Guisado or Ginisang Monggo. So when I got the chance last week I cook Ginisang Monggo for our dinner. According to an old ad age Monggo Recipe is a poor mans dish as to why, I don't know the reason. There are so many variations in cooking Ginisang Monggo and let me share my Monggo Guisado Recipe.

Ginisang Mongo Ingredients:

* 1 1/4 cups green monggo beans(mung beans)
* 2 tbsp oil
* 2 tomatoes, chopped
* 1/2 small onion, chopped
* 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1/2 cup diced pork
* 1 cup small prawns, peeled, heads discarded
* 4 cups shrimp broth
* salt to taste

Soak the (mongo)mung beans in about 2 cups water for 4 hours or you can just boil the mongo beans without soaking until soft or most of the water has been absorbed. Set aside. Heat oil in a casserole and saute onion, garlic and tomatoes until soft. Add diced pork and saute until golden brown. Add small prawns saute for 2 minutes. Stir in mongo beans and instead of adding water add shrimp broth and bring to a boil until pork is fully cooked. Put some salt according to your taste and here's the finished product.

Usually, I'm adding squash on my Ginisang Mongo to add the thickness but since squash is not available in my fridge I need to use only the available resources I have. Eggplants, okra and talbos ng kamote (tender leaves of the sweet-potato) are also added if it's available. For some people they are adding chicharon to add some taste.

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Bicol Express

"Bicol Express is the name given to Sinilihan, a popular dish which originated in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. It is a stew made from long chilies (siling labuyo, lada panjang in Malay/Indonesian), coconut milk, shrimp paste or stockfish, onion, pork, and garlic. It is said to have evolved from gulay na may lada, another Bicolano dish which is nowadays also presented as one of the many variants of Bicol Express." Source From Wikipedia

Basically the original Bicol Express is a lot different from what is being introduced here in Manila and some other places. According to some Bicolanos the original Bicol Express has less or no coconut milk at all. It's less saucy and much drier and has more "siling labuyo"(hot chili).

Anyway this is my Bicol Express Recipe.

Ingredients:

Cooking oil
1 tablespoon Chopped garlic
1 head Chopped onions
1 head Chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoon fresh tumeric (optional)
1/4 kg pork thinly sliced
1 1/2 tb Chopped hot chili(siling Labuyo)
2-3 teaspoon of Bagoong alamang
3 cups of thick Coconut milk
1 cup coconut cream
2 c Fresh long green chillies sliced lengthwise
salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Saute garlic in hot oil. Add onions and cook until translucent.
2. Add in fresh ginger, dilao, and the sliced cooked pork. Stir continually for 5 minutes.
3. Add bagoong alamang and chopped hot chilli(siling labuyo). Stir until the pork is completely covered by the mixture.
4. Pour in coconut milk and add the sliced hot long green chili( Add according to your desired spiciness)
5. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes.
6. Add the coconut cream and simmer until the sauce thickens. Add salt if necessary.

Indeed, there's a lot of version on how to cook Bicol Express as I've observe and I believe that it depends on the taste of the person cooking the dish. You only have two options and that is to stick to the old version of cooking or enhance it according to your style and taste.

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Sinigang na Baboy

One of my favorite lutong bahay recipe is the Sinigang. There are a lot of variations when it comes to cooking a "sinigang" recipe one of which is the "Sinigang na Baboy" or Pork Sinigang. Here, I'm going to share to you the ingredients and how to cook "sinigang na baboy". Our main ingredients in cooking sinigang is the "sampalok" or tamarind. You may use the powdered one or the real sampalok. In here, what I'm going to use is the real Tamarind, for me the "asim" is natural and I liked it better than the powdered one but if you want to use the processed "pampaasim" you may do so.

Pork Sinigang

Ingredients:

3/4 kilo Pork, cut into chunks
3 tomatoes, sliced
2 onions, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
100 grams Kangkong (river spinach)
100 grams String beans
2 pieces horse radishes, sliced
3 pieces gabi (taro), pealed
200 grams sampalok (tamarind)
3 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)
1 liter of rice wash or water

Cooking Procedure:

1. Boil sampalok in water until the shell shows cracks. Let cool then peal off the shells and with a strainer, pour sampalok (including water) into a bowl. Gently massage the sampalok meat off the seeds, strain again.

2. In a pot, saute garlic and onion then add the tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add pork and fish sauce then add the rice wash. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes then add the gabi. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the pork is tender.

4. Add the horse radish, simmer for 10 minutes then add the string beans and kangkong. Let boil for 2 minutes.

5. Serve hot.
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Menudo

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean pork cut into cubes

1 - 1½ cup soy sauce

bay leaf (about 6 pcs.)

pepper (seeds or powder)

1 tsp. achuete powder

2-3 kalamansi

1 whole garlic

2 big onions (finely chopped)

2 tomatoes (finely chopped)

1 cup carrots (cubes)

1 cup potatoes (cubes)

cooking oil

1 medium sized can (or 2 small cans) tomato sauce

salt and Msg. to taste

Directions:

Marinade pork in soy sauce, bay leaf, pepper, achuete, half of the garlic, 1 onion and lemon overnight turning it every 1 to 2 hours. The next day, saute other half of the garlic, tomatoes and onions in oil. Add the pork mixture and simmer until pork is tender. Add carrots and potatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes then add tomato sauce. Stir and cook until tomato sauce is fully blended with the pork. Season to taste.

Variations: May Add pork liver if you want.

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Pork Binagoongan

Ingredients:

1 lb. pork, sliced
1/4 cup oil
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 cup bagoong
1/2 cup vinegar
2 cups water
Msg. to taste

Procedure:

In frying pan, heat oil and fry the sliced pork until brown.
Sauté garlic, onions and tomatoes after pork has browned. Add bagoong.
Pour in vinegar and water, let it simmer until pork is tender.

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Spring Roll

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground shrimp or beef
1/2 cup waterchestnuts -- chopped
1/2 cup green onion -- finely chopped1 tablespoon soy sauce1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 package egg roll wrappers -- or lumpia wrappers1 cup cooking oil

Cooking Method:

LUMPIANG SHANGHAI (filling):

1. Combine pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, green onion and soy sauce.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place a level tablespoon of filling on center of each egg roll wrapper.
4. Brush edges with a few drops of water. Fold one flap over filling. Fold inside flaps and roll up toward top point.
5. Deep fry in hot oil and drain on paper towel.
6. Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce or Garlic Vinegar Sauce.

- Sweet and Sour Sauce -

2 cups water
1/2 cup catsup
1/3 cup sugar1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red-hot sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 4T.water

Sauce Procedure:
1. Mix all ingredients in a pan.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Serve hot.

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