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Monggo Guisado - Mung Beans with Beef Short Ribs

My favorite thing every week is to cook Monggo Guisado, a classic Filipino saute of mung beans in tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger. I added some pre-softened beef ribs and the result was spectacular. Make this easy one-pot dish ahead and your family will relish this comfort food meal. This is an AsianInAmericaMag recipe.
Cook Time2 hours 40 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Vegetables
Cuisine: American, Asian, Filipino
Keyword: Filipino Monggo Guisado Mung Beans Beef Ribs
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 1966kcal
Author: Asian in America - Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Equipment

  • Stockpot - medium-sized

Ingredients

  • 1 cup monggo ( mung beans)
  • 3 to 4 cups water enough to cover beans in pot
  • 1 whole large onion sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 knob (1-inch piece) fresh ginger, peeled, sliced in matchstick sizes
  • 1 whole large tomato sliced
  • 1 cup beef broth, , use what's left from boiling beef ribs broth
  • 2 Tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
  • 3 to 4 pounds beef short ribs, bone-in about 4 pieces
  • 1 whole onion sliced, for boiling with beef
  • 5 to 6 cups water enough to cover beef ribs for boiling
  • 2 teaspoons salt, divided, use 1 teaspoon for boiling beef ribs, rest for monggo saute
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided, use 1/2 teaspoon for boiling beef, rest for saute
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach
  • for serving: steamed rice
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions

  • To soften the monggo or mung beans : boil the monggo/mung beans in water enough to cover beans. Allow to simmer till mung beans are soft for about 40 minutes . Drain liquid (Note: keep 1-2 cups for adding to the monggo saute later).
    In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil. Saute the onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes.  Add the mung beans, fish sauce and broth from boiling the monggo.
  • By this time, the mung beans are soft from the boiling and sautéing. Set aside till beef short ribs are cooked and soft enough to add.
  • To cook the beef short ribs: Pre-season the beef short ribs in salt and pepper.  In  a large pot place the short ribs, onions, broth and enough water to cover. Over medium high heat, bring to a boil, then lower to a slow simmer. Cover and allow the ribs to cook till fork-tender, for about 2 hours or till soft.
    ** Note: To cook in an Instant Pot pressure cooker: cook the beef short ribs on high for 40 minutes. Keep 1 cup beef broth to add to the monggo saute if desired. The rest of the clear bone broth can be kept in the refrigerator for other dishes.
  • To assemble dish: while the monggo or mung beans are simmering towards the end of cooking, add the softened beef ribs. Add half a cup to one cup of the beef broth if desired. Mix well.
  • Season with salt and pepper. At the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the spinach leaves and mix well. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
  • Serve warm, accompanied by a large bowl of steamed rice.
  • COOK’S COMMENTS: Monggo or Mung Beans can be found in most Asian groceries or large, major supermarkets. They are tiny, green round to oval beans, packaged in plastic bags.
  • Recipe variation: If a vegetarian version is preferred, omit the beef short ribs and patis (fish sauce) from the recipe. The sauteed monggo/ mung beans can stand alone as an entree.
  • Manila version: In the Philippines, the beef cuts readily available for this dish, are boneless beef shanks or what is called "kenchi". If you choose this type cut of beef, cook the beef for a shorter time, about 45 minutes to an hour for a pound till tender.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 1966kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 342g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 977mg | Sodium: 816mg | Potassium: 5191mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1679IU | Calcium: 744mg | Iron: 10mg