Eat Healthy and Cheap
Ginisang Munggo
Munggo, mung beans, are the everyday bean of the Filipino table, and ginisang munggo takes its name from the sauteed sofrito, ginisa, of garlic, onion, and tomato that opens the pot. Home cooks usually finish the stew with a spoonful of fish sauce or bagoong for salt and funk; toasting the tomato paste and simmering the beans against a whole chile does that same work of building savory depth without reaching for a bottle of anything fishy. Ampalaya or malunggay leaves are the traditional greens stirred in at the end; spinach wilts into the same soft, silky finish and is easier to find in most stores. The stew keeps well and thickens further overnight, so it is worth making the full batch even for one or two people.
Ingredients
- 1 Yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Fresh tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 tsp Black peppercorns, cracked
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 cup Mung beans, rinsed and picked over
- 1 Thai bird chile, left whole, stem trimmed
- 1 tbsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1 lb Spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- 2 Scallions, thinly sliced
Method
- Cook the onion and garlic in a wide pot over medium heat with a few tablespoons of water, stirring so nothing scorches, until the onion turns translucent and the garlic smells sweet, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and cracked black pepper. Cook, mashing the tomatoes against the pot as they soften, until they collapse into a loose sauce, about 6 minutes. This sauteed base, ginisa, is what gives the dish its name and turns plain boiled beans into something worth eating.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until it darkens a shade and smells toasted instead of raw. Toasting it here concentrates its sweetness and rounds out the tomato's sharpness, the way a splash of oil would in the traditional version.
- Add the rinsed mung beans, the whole chile, the vegetable bouillon, and 5 cups (1.2 L) water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring now and then, for 30 to 35 minutes, until the beans split open and the pot thickens into a coarse, spoonable stew. Add water by the half cup if it tightens before the beans are fully soft.
- Fish out the whole chile once the beans are soft. Stir in the spinach in two handfuls, letting each wilt fully before adding the next, about 3 minutes total.
- Take the pot off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste: it should read savory and a little bright, not flat. Scatter with the scallions and serve hot over brown rice.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 230 calories, 17 g protein, 12 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.
