Ginisang Mongo

Rosalina Ocampo Tañedo

So I tried making this the other night and I should have known better than to cook it without consulting the expert when it comes to the kitchen: My Mother.

Not that it was a complete disaster. Okay, who am I kidding? It was a total disaster that I ended up throwing half of it down my garbage disposal which resulted in the said garbage disposal bursting and spewing this soapy, green, muddy, paste-like substance all over my kitchen floor. It was like a scene from a bad B rated science fiction movie. Actually, it was worse than that. But since this is a food blog, I'll spare you of the details to prevent you from turning your stomach inside out. And even though I discarded half of it, the other half was still more than enough to feed an entire battalion. I guess I'll be eating this dish for a whole month. I didn't realize, that each Mung beans will expand at least four times its size when cooked...and we are talking about three kilos (six and a half plus pounds) of Mung beans here. I know, I know...for someone who tried to major in science, I should know this right? You know, the whole Physics and Chemistry behind it? Never mind, look it up. Well, I do, but it was an error in judgement...so don't judge me all right.

But I won't let a cooking mishap reminiscent of last year's Japan's tsunami deter me from cooking this hearty dish again. Besides, this is one of my favorite Pilipino dish of all time. And this time, I am fully prepared with the help of my mother of course. So enjoy and happy cooking.

Ingredients

• 1/2 kilograms (approximately 1.1 pounds)of Mung bean
• 1 medium onion, chooped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 4 tablespoons of oil (canola or olive)
• 1/4 cup of Patis (fish sauce)
• 1/4 kilograms (approximately 1/2 pounds)of pork, cut into tiny squares *
• 1 bundle of spinach leaves with the stalks**
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper to taste
• 3 cups of water ***

Directions

• Soak Mung beans in water overnight and boil them until beans are soft.
• Mash the beans with a stainer and set aside
• in a deep pot, heat oil and fry the pork squares until brown or almost crunchy
• Sautee garlic and onion, until garlic is golden brown. Add the diced tomato.
• Add the 1/4 cup of Patis. Keeep stirring, until the chopped onion is almost cellophane and the tomato's skin is peeling off
• Add the mashed Mung beans. Add 3 cups of water and stir all the mixture together.
• Add ground black pepper to taste.
• Keep mixing it to prevent the mashed beans from sticking at the bottom of the pot.
• Lower heat and add the spinach leaves with stalks.
• Cover and let it simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Gunisang Mongo can be eaten by itself. Or can be served with steamed rice and fried fish. My mother usually prepares it with fried Galungong fish (Mackarel scad), or fried or broiled Tuyo fish (dried salted Pacific Herring fish) or fried Daing Milk fish (dried salted Milk fish).

* Shrimps can be use as well (dried or fresh). I've seen people use bacon and the bacon fat is used to replace the oil to saute the rest of the ingredients. Chicharon (pork rind) is also used as an alternative as well as Dilis (dried Anchovy fish).

** I used spinach the first time I cooked this dish. But when I was a little boy, my mother used Malungay leaves. Chili leaves is also use.

*** Some people like their saute Ginisang Mungo to be more soupy or thicker in consistency. I personally like it thicker. Remember the beans will expand at least four times their size. And even after they have been mashed, they will still absorb water.

Mongo is the Tagalog name for Mung beans. The Pampangueños of Tarlac where I am from, and of course, the

Pampangueños in the province of Pampanga, we call it Balatung.

Balatung or Mongo, is a legume which is native to the Indian subcontinent. However, many Asian countries such as Burma, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Thailand, and of course the Philippines, Mung beans have become a staple in their culinary art.

Mung beans can be cooked in many different ways, and like most legumes, the initial preparation is submerging them in water over night and boiling them after. In the Philippines, Mung beans are also prepared as desserts such as Lelut Balatung (Sweet Mung beans porridge) which is cooked with coconut milk, sugar, and sticky rice. It is also the main ingredient in Hopia, a pastry stuffed with sweetened Mung beans. I remember when I was little boy, when my would cook mung beans, she always gave me a bowl before sauteing it and and I mixed it with sugar and milk. The mung bean spouts are also used in other dishes such as Fresh Lumpia (Pilipino egg roll)

Mung beans are also nutritious. They are high in fiber, low saturated fat, and contains no artery-clogging cholesterol. see more...

Capilla Romano Catolico in Concepcion, Tarlac

My Mother's birthplace

Benigno Aquino Jr.

Famous Resident of Concepcion, Tarlac

National Hero

Benigno Aquino Jr.'s house. Now a museum

Ale Ube (Halayang Ube)

Rosalina Ocampo Tañedo

Ingredients

• 2 kilos ube yam root (4.5 lbs)
• 2 cans (28 ounces) condensed milk
• 2 cups butter or margarine
• 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 5 cups of fresh coconut milk
• 3 cups of brown sugar
• 2 cups of fresh grated coconut meat (separate preparation, see below)

Instructions

Wash the Ube thoroughly to remove the dirt.  Submerge them in water in a deep pot.  Boil until soft.  Drain and let it cool.  Peel the boiled ube yam.  Grate finely and mashed them.  Heat a deep pan and melt butter or margarine.  Add grated Ube .   Keep mixing to prevent the Ube from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Add condense milk and coconut milk.  Keep stirring.  Add vanilla extract. Keep stirring.  Remove from heat and set it in a deep dish.  Smooth the top with a spatula.  Sprinkle the top with the brown coconut meat (see below how to prepare this).  Cut into squares and serve.

How to prepare coconut sprinkles

Heat pan in high heat.  Add fresh, grated coconut meat.  Let it simmer until it turns brown while occasionally stirring to keep it from burning.  The white, grated coconut milk when it turns deep drown will shrivel to tiny clumps while releasing oil.  This means, it is done.  Drain the oil.  Sprinkle the brown coconut on top of the Ube pudding.


Filipinos are known for a lot of things.  But one thing that they are very famous for is their long celebration of Christmas which Pilipinos call Pasko.  Even as early as September, Christmas Carols can be heard on the radio and Christmas decors such as Parol, (Christmas Lanterns) in all shapes and sizes (mostly in the shape of a star), the Nativity, Christmas Lights.  Fireworks are also widely used during this festive season where they can be heard in every street corner.

December sixteen is the start of Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo (Mass of the cock).  People get up at four o'clock to hear the mass where it is delivered in Tagalog (the National language), Pampangueño (the dialect of my province), and sometimes in Latin.  This culminates on Christmas Eve when the mass starts at eleven o'clock.  After mass, Pilipino families gather together for a big feast called Noche Buena that they have prepared all day. This include tradional Pilipino cuisines such as  Queso de Bola, Castañas, Nilaga, Pancit, Lumpia, Kalamay (Rice Cake) and of course Ube.  After meal, they join the street festivities of lighting up fireworks.

Christmas day, Children visit their God parents and their neighbors.  They will do a ritual called Mano (hand).  It is a ritual unique only to the Pilipino people where they hold their their elders' hand, bow, and put it in their forehead.  This in turn, they will be given gifts in the form of money mostly.  However, this ritual is done not only on Christmas day, but also after mass or when they see their older relatives especially their parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents.

More food is then cooked for the visiting friends and relatives.  Christmas celebration usually ends on January six, the feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings.


Parol Festival in the Province of Pampanga

Traditional Parol (Christmas Lantern)

Ube (Purple Yam) (Dioscorea alata)

Purple Yam is a species of yam. In botany, this species is also known by the names "water yam" and "winged yam." It contains pigments that gives its bright lavender color. It is sometimes confused with taro and the Okinawa sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas cv. Ayamurasaki).

In Hawaiʻi it is known as uhi, in India as ratalu or violet yam, in Marathi as KondFal (कोंदफळ), in the Philippines as ube, in Tamil as "Rasa Valli Kilangu", in Tonga, Samoa and Tahiti as ʻufi" , and in Vietnam as khoai mỡ.   see more...

Pinakbet

Pinakbet is a stew with a variety of vegetables usually picked fresh from the garden or Palengke.  This dish is very popular among the Ilocanos, Tarlqueños, and Pamgueños.  However, the cooking style differ on the way it is prepared.  Ilocanos are known for boiling their dish and salty condiments such as Bagoong (shrimp paste) and Patis (fish sauce) are usually added and this dish is no exception to that method.  The neighboring peoples of Tarlac and Pampanga known throughout the archipelago as the culinary capitals of the Philippines, this dish like most dishes they prepare, it is sauteed first with garlic and onion.  This dish is also garnished with meat such as fried pork chopped in pieces, fried fish such Bangus (Milk fish) or Galungong and flaked, or shrimps.

Ingredients:

• Sitaw cut into pieces about 3 inches long
• Okra - whole or cut in half
• Bataw or Lablab (Hyacinth bean)
• Talong (eggplant) long or round -  cut into bite size pieces
• Kalabasa (Calabaza) - peeled and cut into squares*
• Ampalaya cut into bite size pieces
• Sigarilyas
• Pork cut into tiny pieces**
• 4 cloves of garlic - crushed
• 1 large onion - chopped
• 3 tablespoons of bagoong (shrimp paste)***
• 3 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 1 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

• In a large skillet, heat oil and saute garlic, onion, and cut pork until pork is golden brown.
• Add all vegetables and let it simmer for 5 minutes
• Add the bagoong and water and stir.  Let it simmer.  Do not cover for it will turn vegetables mushy.
• Add pepper to taste.

Sitaw	Okra	Bataw
Talong	Kalabasa (Calabaza)	Ampalaya
Sigarilyas	Bawang	Sibuyas

Ilocandia:  A brief history

Ilocandia is the term given to the traditional homeland of the Ilocano people.From the original western strip of Northern Luzon (now known as the Region 1 or Ilocos Region), Ilocandia has spread throughout the Cagayan Valley and some parts of Central Luzon.Although there are also a large number of Ilocanos in other parts of the Philippines like, Palawan and Mindanao, these are not considered to be a part of Ilocandia, as they are not part of the traditional Ilocano homeland.  see more

Guinisang ampalaya

Ingredients: 

• 4 pieces of Ampalaya (Amorgoso) cut into thin slices
• 2 medium size tomatoes
• 1 large onion - chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic - minced
• 2 eggs - beaten
• 3 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 1 cup of water
• 2 tablespoons of Patis (fish sauce)
• 1 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

• Wash and cut the amplaya in and remove the spongy substance and seeds.  Cut into thin slices as seen in the picture and set aside.
• Cut the tomatoes in tiny quarters and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat oil and saute garlic and onion.
• Add tomatoes and stir.
• Add patis and stir.
• Add ampalaya and water.
• When the ampalaya is almost tender, pour in the beaten eggs and stir.
• Add pepper to taste.  
• Lower heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Tinola

 

Ingredients:

• 6 pieces of chicken (thigh or legs) washed and patted dry.
• 1 large unripe papaya or 2 pieces of sayote (chayote) - peeled and slice into the bias

• 1 cup of malunggay leaves or chili leaves
• 1 piece of ginger root - peeled, cut roughly and crushed
• 1 onion - chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic - minced
• 1 can of chicken broth
• 2 cups of water
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 3 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons of Patis (fish sauce)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Heat oil in dutch pan or casserole and saute garlic, onions, and ginger.
• Add chicken and fry for 5 minutes until skin is slightly brown.
• Add Patis and pour in the water and chicken broth and let it boil.
• Add the sayote (chayote) or papaya wedges and let it boil again until they are tender
• Add the malunggay leaves or chili leaves and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Malunggay

Moringa oleifera

It is called Malunggay in Philippines and Sajina in Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia. It grows very wildly in hot tropical climate.

Moringa is a wonderful herb known all over the world-- but only recently in the U.S. It may provide the boost in energy, nutrition and health you've been seeking. This book reveals Moringaís nutritional content, medicinal properties, where to get it, the best results.

Moringa is a remarkable discovery, which can make a tremendous difference in your health and quality of life. Mounting scientific evidence shows what has been known for thousands of years by people in the tropical parts of the world: Moringa is natureís medicine cabinet.

It is best known as an excellent source of... see more

Arroz caldo

Arroz caldo means rice broth.  It is named so because the rice is boiled with a type of broth.  The most common broth used is chicken where sometimes pieces of chicken are added.  People mistaken this it a Latin-influenced dish.  During the Spain's four decades of rule in the Philippines, Spanish people frequented Chinese eating establishments where they were introduced to a simple rice porridge called congee where the rice is boiled in large amount of water until it has softened to almost a paste-like substance.  In time, Spanish and Pilipinos added ingredients and change the cooking technique where the rice is not boiled significantly.  This version resembles a soupy version of Arroz con pollo.  Pilipinos also call it Lugaw and they often cook it when someone has a cold just like Westerners do with chicken noodle soup.

Ingredients:

• 6 pieces of chicken (thigh and/or legs)
• 1 cup of rice
• 1 large onion - chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic - crushed
• 6 cloves of garlic - minced and fried to golden brown
• 1 small ginger - peeled and cut roughly and crushed
• Scallions for garnishing 
• 3 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)
• 1 can of chicken broth
• 3 cups of water
• Black pepper
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• Wedges of lemon, lime, or calamansi

Directions:

• Heat oil in a dutch pan.  Sautée chopped onion, crushed garlic, and ginger.  When onion is garlic is golden brown, add three tablespoons of patis.
• Add chicken, chicken broth, 2 cups of water, and 1 cup of rice.
• Let it boil until chicken and rice fully cooked.
• Serve in a bowl and garnish it with chopped scallions and fried garlic.  Add a squeeze of lemon, lime, or calamansi for added flavor.

Sopas con leche

 

Sopas is the the Pilipino/Spanish word for soup.  It's almost similar with the American chicken noodle soup except for the creamy flavor due to the addition of evaporated (evaporada) milk.  My mother likes using shell or elbow macaroni but other types of pasta can be used as well.  

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of chicken breast including the bone and skin
• 1 large carrot - diced or bias cut
• 1 small head of cabbage - cut in small pieces
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 large red bell pepper - cut into spears
• 1 onion - chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic -minced
• 1 can of evaporated milk
• 3 tablespoons of cooking oil
• chicken broth
• salt
• pepper
• 2 cups of elbow or shell pasta

Directions:

• Boil the chicken in 8 cups of water.  When done boiling, set aside the chicken stock.  Flake the chicken breast and set aside.
• Heat the cooking oil in a dutch pan and sautée the chopped onion and minced garlic.  Before the garlic starts turning golden brown or before the onion starts becoming transparent, add the the flaked chicken.  
• Add 6 cups of chicken stock and evaporated milk.  Let it simmer.
• Add the pasta and let it boil.
• Add salt and pepper.
• Check the pasta to see if they are almost cooked.  When the pasta has softened,  add the cabbage, carrots, and celery.  Add the red bell pepper last.

Tips:

Boiling the chicken breast with the bones and skin add flavor to the soup.
Timing is essential when cooking the pasta and vegetable.  Overcooking both would render the soup mushy and thick.
Adding the bell pepper last would prevent them from over-cooking.
Some people add hard-boiled eggs but it is not necessary.

PILIPINAS

Iglesia de San Agustin (Intramuros, Manila)
San Agustin Church is a Roman Catholic church under the auspices of The Order of St. Augustine, located inside the historic walled city of Intramuros in Manila. Completed by 1607,[1] it is the oldest church still standing in the Philippines.[2] No other surviving building in the Philippines has been claimed to pre-date San Agustin Church.

In 1993, San Agustin Church was one of four Philippine churches constructed during the Spanish colonial period to be designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO , under the classification "Baroque Churches of the Philippines". It had been named a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government in 1976.see more...

		see more...

Nilaga

by: Rowena Tañedo Little

Nilaga is popular soup in the Philippines. It is one of the easiest Pilipino dish to prepare since it does involve very much preparation. Along with other favorite Pilipino foodies such as Halayang Ube, and various rice cakes, my family has made Nilaga a staple on the dinner table during Noche Buena - a victual feast celebrated after mass at midnight on the Eve of Christmas and Media Noche on New Year's Eve.

Ingredients

• 8 pieces of chicken (wings, leg quarters, breasts)
• 1 pound of lean beef or beef with bones
• 1 pound of pork
• 1 head of cabbage (cut into four quarters)
• 2 bunches of pechay
• 2 medium onion (cut into four quarters)
• 1/2 of green beans
• 2 stems of leaks
• 3 medium potatoes (cut each into halves)
• 4 ripe saging saba (cardava banana)
• 1 teaspoon of peppercorn
• salt to taste

Directions

• Boil meat along with onions and peppercorn with enough water to submerge the meat until tender. Ad a dash of salt
• When meat is tender, add potatoes and cardava bananas.
• When potatoes and bananas soften, add green beans and leaks.
• When beans and leaks are tender, add cabbage
• Cover and lower the heat

This dish is serve with steamed rice or by itself. Some family members use Soy Sauce as a dipping sauce for the vegetables and meat while I prefer Patis (Fish sauce). Like chicken noodle soup and arroz caldo, Pilipinos eat this dish to help them treat colds during the colder season.

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Halayang Ube	Embutido

Saging Saba (Cardava Banana)

Saba bananas have very large, robust pseudostems that can reach heights of 20–30 feet (6–9 m). The trunk can reach diameters of 3 feet. The trunk and leaves are dark blue-green in color. Like all bananas, each pseudostem flowers and bears fruits only once before dying. Each mat bears about eight suckers.

The fruits become ready for harvesting 150 to...see more

Pancit Canton

Pancit Canton is another favorite Pancit dish of mine.  This time, instead of using the traditional Pancit Bijon, Pancit Canton is used.  It is made of flour and it is yellow in color.  It has more flavor when uncooked compared to the Bijon which is pretty much rice in noodle form.

Cooking preparation is pretty much the same with slight variation in some ingredients and the noodle is not soaked in water.  It is a common staple in Panciterias (restaurants where Pancit dishes are the main attraction) and Carinderias (bistro) also knows as "turo-turo"(point-point) where you literally point at an array of dishes you want to order.

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of Pancit Canton 
• 1 lb. chicken 
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil 
• 1 med. onion, finely chopped 
• 1 head of cabbage - cut in pieces 
• 3 stalks of celery - cut in pieces 
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt 
• 1 lb. pork 
• 2 garlic cloves - minced 
• 1/4 cup of soy Toyo (soy sauce)
• 1 cup of French cut fresh green beans 
• 1 large carrot - peeled and cut julienne style 
• 1 tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper

Directions: 

• Boil chicken and pork in 2 cups water until meat tender. 
• Shred the chicken and cut the pork in small pieces.  Save broth.
• Sautee garlic until golden brown in a wide sauce pan or wok.  
• Add onion until it is transparent.
• Add the shredded chicken and pork.  Cook for 10 minutes.
• Add the broth that has been set aside.
• Add the cabbage, carrots, celery, and green beans.  Reduce heat.
• Stir all the mixture together until vegetables are half-cooked.
• Add salt and pepper.
• Add the Pancit Canton.
• Keep stirring to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the sauce pan.
• Cook for another 10 minutes. 

 Tips:
Like most Pancit dishes, Pancit Canton is best eaten with a squueze of fresh Calmansi or Lemon or Lime.
Since Pancit Canton is made of flour, over-cooking it will make it soggy.

Turo-Turo

Pancit Palabok

 

Of all the Pancit dishes, Pancit Palabok or as we call it in my dialect, Pancit Luglog is my favorite one.  Maybe it's the achuete that gives it the colorful look which makes it so enticing, or the thick flavorful sauce, or the variety of toppings.  Nonetheless, it is also has the longest preparation time due to its smorgasbord of ingredients.

Like other Pancit, Pancit Bijon is also used as the noodles.  However, Miki (pronounced as Mee Kee), a type of fresh egg noodle is used as a substitute.   

Ingredients:

•  1 packaged of Pancit Bijon
• 1/2 lb of ground pork (chicken or beef)
• 3 cups of pork broth
• 1 large onion - chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic - minced
• 5 tablespoons of corn starch
• 2 tablespoons of Patis (fish sauce)
• 1/2 tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil (canola, corn, olive, coconut)
• 3 tablespoons of achuete

Preparing the sauce:

• 1/2 lb of ground pork (chicken or beef)
• 3 cups of pork broth
• 1 large onion - chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic - minced
• 5 tablespoons of corn starch
• 2 tablespoons of Patis (fish sauce)
• 1/2 tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil (canola, corn, olive, coconut)
• 3 tablespoons of achuete

Preparing the toppings:

Tinapa

• 1 cup of chicharones (pork rinds) - crushed or pounded
• 3 hard-boiled eggs - sliced
• 1 cup of Tinapa (smoked fish) - shredded
• 2 stalks of fresh scallions or green onion- cut into fine pieces
• 4 tablespoons of fried minced garlic
• 4 to 6 pieces of calamansi or 2 lemon or lime wedges
• 1/2 cup of fried pork cut into pieces (or shrimps, peeled and steamed or boiled)

Directions:

•  Soak the Pancit Bijon for ten minutes in warm water.  Drain and set aside.
• Add the ground pork into the preheated 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a sauce pan and cook until golden brown.
• Mix the 3 tablespoons of achuete and 3 cups of pork broth.
• Add the achuete and pork broth mixture to the ground pork and stir. 
• Add the Patis (fish sauce) and stir.
• Add the 5 tablespoons of corn starch little by little and while stirring it slowly.
• Add the fresh ground pepper.
• Lower the heat and let it simmer until the sauce thickens.

How to serve:

• Grab the Pancit Bijon that has been set aside and place it onto a plate.  Just put enough for you will need space for the sauce and the toppings.
• Pour the sauce on top of the Pancit Bijon just like what you do on spaghetti sauce into the spaghetti noodles.
• Add the toppings (chicharones, shredded Tinapa, hard-boiled eggs, fried garlic, green-onions or scallions, and a slice of calamansi or lemon or lime wedges which will be squeezed on top.

 Preparation time: 60 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Servigs:  4 to 6 servings


Other Pancit recipes

Pancit Bijon Guisado	Pancit Canton