Stewed Mung Beans with Coconut Milk [Ginataang Monggo]

this recipe is a long overdue request of my friend Joey.  i hope he enjoys cooking it and enjoys eating it more. =D

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp. cooking oil

4-5 cloves [or more] garlic, minced

1 medium [or large] onion, roughly sliced

2-3 [or more] ripe tomatoes, seeded and quartered [optional]

1/4 kilo [or more] pork belly or pork ribs, cut in bite-sized pieces, rubbed with salt and pepper at least 30 minutes before cooking time

1/4 kilo raw mung beans, precooked [how to at the below]

coconut milk squeezed from 2 coconuts or 1 pack/can of coconut milk

chili leaves [as much as you want]

squash [as much as you want] cut in bite-sized pieces [optional]

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Heat cooking oil in pot or saute pan.  saute garlic, onion, and tomatoes, when wilted, stir in pork belly. When pork is cooked, stir in precooked mung beans, upon simmering put in squash cubes.  when squash is almost cooked, pour in coconut milk, add salt and pepper to taste, simmer for 5 minutes.  switch off fire and drop in chili leaves. cover for 5 minutes and your dish is ready to serve.

How to precook mung beans:

wash mung beans, soak in water and remove any floating dirt or beans.  top up mung beans with tap water.  bring to a boil.  mung beans are cooked when the beans have split or are soft to the bite.

short cut version:

cook pork belly/ribs with mung beans in water.  drop in garlic, onions, and tomatoes, upon simmering drop in squash, when squash is almost cooked, pour in coconut milk, add salt and pepper to taste, simmer for 5 minutes.  switch off fire and drop in chili leaves. cover for 5 minutes and your dish is ready to serve.

my take:

i love eating this dish steaming hot with left-over rice and with vinegar as a "side sauce".  try it.  maybe you will like it.

chicken curry

i know.  it's like the most basic dish ever.  but i don't want this to be a one-time-hit so i'm writing every little thing i did.  so can repeat the perfection again, and again, and again.

at least 4 hours before:

• rub chicken pieces with salt, pepper, spanish paprika, fennel powder, curry powder, and cumin.  sprinkle dried sage,  rosemary, oregano, and whatever herb whose bottle says it is good for poultry.
• rough chop some onions, garlic and ginger and slip in the pieces in between the skin and the flesh of the chicken
• keep in the ref till cooking time so the chicken can absorb all the flavor.

2 hours before mealtime:

• heat a bit of oil in a deep, wide pan and slide in your seasoned chicken.  keep the fire on low, switching the chicken on its sides to evenly brown and cook.  let simmer for an hour tops.

an hour before mealtime:

• remove chicken pieces, add about a cup of water so the drippings get unstuck and all the flavor goes to the sauce, add a carton of coco cream [i used Karo], salt and pepper, and slivers of red bell peppers.
• drop in equally sized potato and carrot slices,  scrape off the bottom as you bring the sauce to a simmer [now all that flavor will get into the potatoes and carrots as well.]
• taste-test and add more water if it is too rich, and more salt and pepper if needed.
• add back the chicken pieces when the potatoes and carrots are half-way done. keep to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes to allow the chicken to soak the flavor back in.

serve hot, with plenty of rice, and with a tangy or tart side dish to help cut the richness of the dish.

Laing by a Bicolana in Amersfoort

This is Laing.  and it suddenly just got achievable to me.

These are what it is made of:

This is the main ingredient, which gives it it's distinct, unique flavor...

Dried Gabi Leaves which are not that easy to come by

... when combined with these.

\

Coconut Milk, Coconut Cream, and Salted Shrimps

This is what makes it sinful.

Pork slices with just the right amount of fat. =P

This is what makes it hot, and i mean REALLY HOT!

Chilies, with all the seeds in them!*pursing my imagination induced inflamed lips*

Read the full story/recipe [a.k.a. labor of love] here.  keep a hanky in your hand, to wipe your chin, because i guarantee you will drool.  The author/cook is an online buddy who i'm still trying to convince to start a food/recipe blog.

Laing By Malou Prestado

and you can thank me... right about now. =D  You are all WELCOME!