Monggo Guisado (Mung Bean Soup) With Shrimp and Tinapa Recipe

Monday, October 16, 2017

Monggo Guisado or Mung Bean Soup is a dish that’s very common in Filipino home-cooking. It’s actually ironic that it’s named guisado (from the Tagalog word “gisa” which means “to sauté” or “stir-fry”), when the end product is actually a soup dish.

monggo guisado
The secret in making this dish quick and easy to cook is to soak the raw mung beans in water overnight. This process reduces the cooking time in half or even less, depending on how thick or watery you want your soup to be. Monggo Guisado is usually cooked with pork and topped with chicharon, but this recipe uses shrimp and tinapa (smoked fish) for a healthier option.


Here's how to cook Monggo Guisado with Shrimp and Tinapa

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 to 45 minutes
Serves 4 to 5 persons


Ingredients:

-   1 tbsp canola oil
-   2 large garlic cloves, chopped
-   1 medium onion, thinly sliced
-   1 to 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
-   6 to 8 pieces shrimp, peeled, deveined and head removed (last method optional)
-   250 g raw mung beans, soaked in water overnight 
-   2 tbsp fish sauce
-   4 to 5 cups of water
-   ½ cup tinapa flakes
-   2 cups sili tops (chili leaves)
-   salt and pepper to taste


Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a pot. Sauté garlic and onion until the onion becomes translucent. Add sliced tomatoes and sauté for about 3 minutes. Put in shrimp and lightly sauté them until both sides turn pink.

2.  Drain mung beans and put everything in the pot. Mix well and add 2 tbsp of fish sauce. Mix all ingredients one more time and let it sit for 2 minutes.

3.  Add 4 to 5 cups of water, depending on how much soup you prefer. Boil over high heat for 15 minutes or until the monggo beans become firm to the bite. If you want the soup to have a thicker consistency and the mung beans softer, boil for another 15 minutes over medium heat.

4.  Add tinapa flakes, mix well, and let the mung bean soup simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Once you get the right consistency of soup, turn off the heat then add the sili tops. Mix well until the leaves soften. This will only take a few seconds. Serve with rice or consume on its own.

Sauteed garlic, onion, tomatoes, and shrimp
Mung beans added in the pot
Tinapa flakes
Nearly cooked monggo guisado wtih sili tops
Monggo Guisado with shrimp

Notes

1.  The monggo beans will become enlarged and easy to squish with your fingers once they are soaked overnight. I soaked mine for 12 hours before draining them and putting them inside the fridge prior to cooking.

2.  You can keep the shrimp heads. I sautéed the heads as well because these add flavor to the dish.

3.  I used 3 to 4 pieces of tinapa to make ½ cup of tinapa flakes. I bought galunggong (round scad) because this type of fish has more meat.

4.  You can add ampalaya or bitter melon prior to adding sili tops. Just don’t over boil so the soup won’t be too bitter.

5.  If sili tops are not available, you can use malunggay leaves (moringa) or spinach. 


Enjoy your hot Monggo Guisado and bookmark this page if you find this helpful!

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