Ginisang Munggo (Filipino Mung Bean Stew)

Description

Ginisang Munggo is a hearty Filipino stew made with mung beans, garlic, onions, and tomatoes, often simmered with spinach or bitter melon leaves and flavored with fish sauce.
It’s commonly cooked with pork, shrimp, or dried fish for added flavor. Nutritious, comforting, and usually served with rice.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 ½ pounds tomatoes, seeds removed, and chopped
• 1 onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
• 1 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced (about ¼ cup)
• 1 jalapeno thinly sliced, optional
• 8 cloves fresh minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon vegan chick’n bouillon paste or powder, sub vegetable bouillon paste or powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon MSG, optional
• 1 ½ cups dried mung beans, rinsed
• 1 13.5 ounce can of full fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce
• 6 cups baby spinach
• Crispy tofu, for serving, optional
• White rice, for serving, optional

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the tomatoes, onion, ginger and jalapeno.
3. Season with the bouillon paste, the salt, pepper, and the msg and sauté, stirring often,
   until the tomatoes are cooked down and the onions are translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and sauté another 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add the mung beans and 6 cups of water and stir to combine.
6. Increase the heat to high and once it reaches a light boil, reduce the heat to low,
   then cover and simmer until the mung beans are cooked through, about 1 hour (if using split mung beans, check them at around 30 minutes).
7. Remove the lid and add the coconut milk, soy sauce, vegan fish sauce, and another 1 to 2 cups of water (I usually end up adding an additional cup of water,
   but depending on your preference, you may want to start with ½ cup if you like a thicker texture or up to 2 cups if you prefer it soupier).
8. Stir until the coconut milk is thoroughly combined, then working in batches, mix in the spinach.
9. Continue to stir until the spinach is slightly wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
10. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Garnish with crispy tofu (optional) and serve immediately over rice (optional) and enjoy!