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Vegetarian ginisang monggo
Sautéed mung bean stew with tofu
Ginisang monggo: Filipino sautéed mung bean stew with fried tofu, tomato and moringa leaves
All over the Philippines, ginisang monggo is what's on the table on Friday, a habit from the days of meatless Fridays that never went away. Whole green mung beans are simmered until they burst into a thick, savoury stew with lots of garlic, onion and tomato and finished with malunggay (moringa) or spinach leaves. Home cooks usually add pork or dried shrimp and season with fish sauce; this vegetarian version uses golden fried tofu and soy sauce instead. A portion gives about 25 g of protein from the mung beans and tofu, and it is filling enough to eat with rice as a whole meal. The most common mistake is adding the greens too early, so they turn grey and slimy; put them in at the very end and turn off the heat. Chef's tip: let the beans simmer until most have split their skins and some collapse into the liquid; that is what makes the stew creamy without any thickener.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz whole green mung beansrinsed; no soaking needed
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 9 oz firm tofupatted dry, in 2 cm cubes
- 3 tbsp vegetable oildivided
- 6 cloves garlicchopped
- 1 onionchopped
- 2 tomatoeschopped
- 2 tbsp tamarigluten-free soy sauce; ordinary soy sauce if gluten is not a concern
- ½ tsp saltto taste
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 ⅞ oz malunggay (moringa) leaves or baby spinachpicked
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 10 ½ oz whole green mung beans and 6 ¼ cups water in a large pot and bring to the boil. Simmer with the lid ajar for 35–40 minutes, stirring now and then, until most beans have split their skins and are soft enough to mash with a spoon. Top up with hot water if it gets thicker than porridge.
40 minStep 2: While the beans cook, heat 2 tablespoons of 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry 9 oz firm tofu, turning, for 8–10 minutes until golden and crisp on most sides. Drain on kitchen paper.
10 minStep 3: In a second pan, or the emptied frying pan, heat the rest of 1 tbsp vegetable oil over a medium heat. Sauté 6 cloves garlic until pale gold, add 1 onion and cook until soft, then add 2 tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, pressing them, until they break down into a jammy sauce.
9 minStep 4: Scrape the tomato mixture into the beans with 2 tbsp tamari, ½ tsp ground black pepper and the fried tofu. Simmer gently for 5 minutes so the tofu soaks up the broth. Taste and add ½ tsp salt if needed.
5 minStep 5: Stir in 2 ⅞ oz malunggay (moringa) leaves or baby spinach, turn off the heat and cover for 2 minutes, just until the leaves wilt and stay bright green. Serve hot with rice.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 13 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vegetarian ginisang monggo take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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