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.

my mom's beef stew

though i rarely eat beef, not because it's red meat but because i can't stand it's signature smell, i gobbled this one up whenever my Mom prepared it for us. And so, when i transferred to my own home and because my hubby is a big beef lover, i decided to experiment with it.

No two preparations are the same because i substitute with what's currently in my ref. But i'll specify the main ingredients that gives it it's own character. There's nothing new or secret about it, in fact i guess it's the same old beef stew everybody makes.

But it's yummy, hearty, and filling and it's a breeze to make, no fuss and minimal mess. So i decided to share it with you.

in a sauce pan, lightly fry sliced chorizo de bilbao in a little of its own lard. then put in beef shanks and add enough water just to cover beef. while waiting for it to boil, add a pat of butter, salt, ground black pepper, chopped garlic, halved onions, and chunks of capsicum. when it starts boiling, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, then add any tomato-based sauce. add herbs of your choice [today i put in dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, and fresh parsely]. when it starts to boil again add chunks of carrots and potatoes, you can also add other veggies like green beans [anything that goes well with stews]. just before the veggies are cooked, drop in pimiento-stuffed olives and whole champignon mushrooms. when done, turn off heat and add small cheese chunks [the kind that easily melts, i use local eden cheese cause its creamy and just gives the right amount of saltiness]

since i don't have a pressure cooker yet, i let the beef shanks simmer for at least an hour to make sure it comes out tender. if i have plenty time, i make it 2 hours so it falls-off-the bones.and as i said you can substitute the non-main ingredients, like today i used beef franks instead of the usual chorizo i use. and because we have it, edwin added a pinch of saffron to make it more fragrant and mask the beefy smell that i don't like.

i also didn't specify amounts because you can play with it. if you like onions, then add more. if you don't like olives, then don't inlude them. you can make your own tweaks and adjustments to suit your taste. you can even drop in the ingredients in no particular order, common sense lang para di maging mushy and unrecognizable ang ingredients, he he.

to make the meal complete, all you need is rice and icy cold rootbeer!

i promise you it's no hassle at all, in fact i was multiplying while i was making it and pa-silip silip lang to know when it's ready na.

i hope you try it and enjoy it as we do.