This Vegetarian Ginisang Monggo is the ultimate comfort food and a staple in all Filipino homes.  It’s hearty, savory, full of nutritional benefits and great to eat on a nice cold day. 

What is Ginisang Monggo?

Ginisang monggo is made of softened mung beans, mixed with vegetables, edible leaves like ampalaya leaves, malungay leaves, or petchay leaves.

There are so many different names and spellings for this recipe like:

• Mung Bean
• Monggo Soup
• Monggo Beans

to name a few.  So throughout the recipe, you’ll see me write it in different variations.

By the way, for those of you who are learning Filipino cooking, this recipe is a great start. This was one of the first Filipino dishes I made and mastered.

Because Filipinos are creative, this has made this ginisang monggo recipe an ultimate comfort food since it is very versatile, you can change the flavor easily by adding coconut milk or adding your favorite vegetarian meat.

This recipe is so simple, cost-friendly, nutritious, and easy to cook.

Tips on How to Make Ginisang Monggo:

• Pre-soak mung beans overnight so cooking will be faster. Overnight is best or at least 4 hours before cooking.
• If you don’t have time to wait for hours for the monggo beans to soften, you can cook them in a pressure cooker and have it ready for cooking in 10 to 15 minutes.
• If ampalaya leaves or bitter gourd leaves are not available in your area, you can use malungay leaves, spinach leaves, or even mustard leaves. They taste just as great and they are nutritious too!
• If you love food with coconut milk, you can add a cup of coconut milk once the water from the monggo decreases.

How to Make Ginisang Monggo:

These are the Ginisang Monggo ingredients that you will need:

• mung beans
• water
• coconut oil
• tofu 
• garlic
• onion
• ginger
• salt 
• pepper
• ampalaya leaves or malungay leaves

In a saucepan or large pot, over medium heat, add 2 cups of water in the pot. Then add mung beans and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked:

The cooked monggo should be fluffier, skin is opened, and soft, just like what we have here:

When it is cooked, strain the water and set aside:

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat with coconut oil and fry tofu until it’s lightly brown on both sides, then set aside:

In the same pan, sauté garlic, onion, ginger:

Add the cooked mongo beans, mixed, saute, and add water if you like the Ginisang Monggo soupy:

Add salt and pepper until you get your desired taste:

In another bowl, gently smash the ampalaya leaves in salt and remove the green juice to lessen the bitter taste. 

Going back to the pan with the monggo beans, you can now add in the fried tofu:

Add the ampalaya leaves on top of the mung beans and mix. You can add water if you love it to be soupy. Simmer again for a few minutes then turn off fire:

Your Ginisang Monggo is all done! It’s best to serve with hot rice or you can eat it as is since monggo is already filling and has enough carbs to make you full.

Frequently Asked Questions for the Ginisang Mongo Recipe:

Q: Are mung beans the same as lentils?

A: Mung beans and lentils are not the same.

Q: How do you soften mung beans?

A: I usually soak it in water overnight or 4 hours before I boil them in a pot to soften.

Q: How long does it take to cook mung beans?

A: To soften the mung beans or monggo beans, you have to boil it for 2 to 3 hours or you can cook it in a pressure cooker and have it ready in minutes.

Q: What is the English name of monggo?

A: In English, monggo is called Mung beans.

Q: Where can I buy mung beans?

A: At your local asian grocery market.

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More Delicious Authentic Filipino Food Recipes:

• Pancit Bihon
• Fried Rice
• Arroz Caldo (Congee)
• Filipino Vegan Escabeche – Sweet & Sour Fish
• Mushroom Chicharon
• Binignit
• Vegan Dinuguan

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