Are you craving a simple, nutritious weeknight meal? Our Vegan Filipino Ginisang Munggo (mung bean soup) is the definition of Filipino comfort food. Tender mung beans are enveloped in a savory broth with onion, garlic, tomatoes and spinach. Served with steamed jasmine rice, this meal is guaranteed to turn your frown upside down. It’s basically a hug from a Filipino mom, but in food form!
When I think of Filipino home cooking, Ginisang Munggo is the first dish that comes to mind. My parents prepare it once a week to this day, which is really isn’t surprising. Ginisang Munggo is a quick one-pot meal that uses affordable pantry staples. It’s the kind of dish that’s perfect for days you don’t feel like cooking but want something hot, hearty and comforting on the table.
My mom taught us her recipe for Ginisang Munggo recently, and I can’t wait to share our veganized version with you guys!
In the mood for more cozy, home-cooked Filipino staples? Check out our Vegan Arroz Caldo (rice porridge), Tortang Talong (eggplant omelette) or Tofu Adobo.
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❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Cozy & comforting
- A simple one-pot meal
- Nutrient dense
🇵🇭 WHAT IS VEGAN FILIPINO GINISANG MUNGGO?
In Asia, munggo (or mung beans) are a popular legume used in both savory and sweet applications. They’re similar in size and texture to lentils or split peas. Ginisang Munggo translates to “sautéed mung beans.” And while the munggo are initially sautéed, the finished dish is more of a soup or stew.
The mung beans are cooked in a savory broth with onion, garlic, tomatoes, and spinach. This dish traditionally contains either pork, shrimp, or smoked/dried fish. Patis (or fish sauce) is a common seasoning, while chicharron (or fried pork skins) is a common topping.
My mom makes her Ginisang Munggo with pork. For our vegan recipe, we trade textured vegetable protein (TVP) for the pork. We also add vegan beef-flavored bouillon to the broth for a dose of umami.
Love,
Val
📝 INGREDIENTS
- Textured vegetable protein (TVP): TVP is a minimally processed vegan meat alternative that we use in place of pork for our recipe. In a nutshell, TVP is basically dehydrated soy protein. Before cooking, the TVP needs to be rehydrated in hot water for a few minutes. We like to stir in vegan beef-flavored bouillon to the hot water, to season the TVP. You can find TVP in the baking section of your grocery store or online. However, feel free to omit this ingredient if you’re short on time. Your Ginisang Munggo will be plenty delicious—not to mention protein rich—without it.
- Neutral oil (such as vegetable or avocado oil): to cook the aromatics, vegetables, TVP and munggo.
- Onion and garlic: fragrant aromatics that are the flavor building blocks for the broth.
- Tomatoes: diced tomatoes add body to the broth and enhance its flavor.
- Dried munggo (mung beans): these protein and fiber-packed legumes are the star of our culinary show. There are green and yellow varieties of mung beans. Choose whole green mung beans, as they have a more desired texture for this dish. You can sometimes find whole green mung beans in a regular grocery among the other dried beans and legumes. But your best bet is to nab them at your local Asian grocery store or online.
- Water: the base of our broth.
- Vegan beef-flavored bouillon: seasons the TVP and adds a savory umami punch to our broth. Our favorite brands are Better Than Bouillon (paste-like consistency bouillon) and Edward & Sons (cubed bouillon).
- Baby spinach: traditional leafy green used in this dish.
- Salt & freshly cracked black pepper: to season our dish.
- 1. Prepare the textured vegetable protein (TVP). In a large mixing bowl, pour 1 ½ cups of hot water over TVP and stir in 1 teaspoon of bouillon paste. Let it sit for 10 minutes. When the water has cooled enough to handle, squeeze out all the liquid from the TVP, and set the TVP aside.
- 2. Cook the vegetables. In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, sprinkle with salt to draw out the moisture, and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to release their moisture.
- 3. Cook the munggo. Add the prepared TVP and munggo, and cook for 2 minutes. Then add 4 cups of water, stir in 1 teaspoon bouillon paste and cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 40 minutes, or until munggo are fully cooked. Stir in the spinach and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until the spinach wilts. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Add water as needed. Serve with steamed jasmine rice. Enjoy!
💡RECIPE TIPS
- Omit the TVP, if you like. Feel free to omit the TVP if you are short on time. Your Ginisang Munggo will be plenty delicious—not to mention protein rich—without it.
- Choose the right mung bean. There are green and yellow varieties of dried mung beans. Choose whole green mung beans, as they have a more desired texture for this dish. You can sometimes find whole green mung beans in a regular grocery among the other dried beans and legumes. But your best bet is to nab them at your local Asian grocery store or online.
- Mung bean prep. Note that there is no need to pre-soak or parboil the mung beans before adding them to this dish. After they are thoroughly rinsed, they can be added and cooked as-is.
- Storage. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to seven days or in the freezer for up to three months. Reheat via microwave or stovetop.
DID YOU TRY THIS VEGAN FILIPINO MUNGGO GINISANG?
Did you make this recipe? We’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. Share your dish with us on Instagram and tag us @plantbased.passport. We would love to seeing your delicious creations! Still hungry? Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest for more global vegan recipes and travel tips!🍴✈️
💕 MORE VEGAN FILIPINO RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
👩🏽🍳 RECIPE
VEGAN FILIPINO GINISANG MUNGGO (mung bean soup)
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 cutting board
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 medium pot with a lid
Ingredients
- ½ cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil such as vegetable or avocado oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1 cup dried whole green munggo (mung beans) thoroughly rinsed
- 5½ cups water divided
- 2 teaspoons vegan beef-flavored bouillon paste, divided or 2 vegan beef-flavored bouillon cubes, divided
- 3 cups baby spinach chop if using regular spinach (instead of baby spinach)
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
To Serve
- steamed white jasmine rice
Instructions
- Prepare the textured vegetable protein (TVP). In a large mixing bowl, pour 1 ½ cups hot water over TVP and stir in 1 teaspoon vegan bouillon paste. Let TVP sit for 10 minutes. When the water has cooled enough to handle, squeeze out all the liquid from the TVP, and set it aside.
- Cook the vegetables. In a medium pot with a lid, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, sprinkle with salt to draw out the moisture, and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to release their moisture.
- Cook the munggo. Add prepared TVP and munggo and cook for 2 minutes. Then add 4 cups of water, stir in 1 teaspoon bouillon paste and cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer for 40 minutes, or until munggo are fully cooked. Stir in the spinach and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Add water as needed. Serve with steamed white jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Notes
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- Omit the TVP, if you like. Feel free to omit the TVP if you are short on time. Your Ginisang Munggo will be plenty delicious—not to mention protein rich—without it.
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- Choose the right mung bean. There are green and yellow varieties of dried mung beans. Choose whole green mung beans, as they have a more desired texture for this dish. You can sometimes find whole green mung beans in a regular grocery among the other dried beans and legumes. But your best bet is to nab them at your local Asian grocery store or online.
-
- Mung bean prep. Note that there is no need to pre-soak or parboil the mung beans before adding them to this dish. After they are thoroughly rinsed, they can be added and cooked as-is.
-
- Storage. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to seven days or in the freezer for up to three months. Reheat via microwave or stovetop.
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