Monggo is a traditional Filipino comfort food that uses mung beans to create a hearty soup, enriched with seared shrimp and lechon kawali. This recipe involves cooking mung beans with aromatics and spices, then adding the protein and greens for a flavorful dish.
1: Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, then sear until medium rare and remove.
2: Heat oil in the pot and sear the diced onion, minced garlic, and diced roma tomatoes.
3: Add the soaked Mongo beans to the pot and stir while adding soy sauce, vinegar, chicken bouillon, bay leaves, pepper, and sugar.
4: Pour in enough broth or water to cover the beans, approximately 10 cups.
5: Let the mixture simmer until the beans achieve a soft texture.
6: Add the seared shrimp and a whole bag of spinach, simmering until the spinach wilts.
7: For the lechon kawali, boil the pork belly with half an onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorn for about 20 minutes until soft.
8: Remove the pork belly from the water, pat dry, and deep fry until brown.
9: Let the fried pork rest for 5 minutes, then double fry until very crunchy.
10: Slice and add to the Mongo soup or serve whole.
