I'm a girl with a few regrets, but one that I wished I had done when younger is to watch my mother cook filipino food. My sisters and I frequent filipino restaurants, some fancy, some not so much. But after every meal, one of my sisters will inevitably comment, "mom makes it better!"
My mom still cooks, but not as often. These days, I wait patiently for a trip to Los Angeles or the Bay area to experience good filipino cooking.
I can cook most anything, why not try making my own filipino food? I think the problem is I am not sure how to re-create the flavors of the savory dishes. Here's my first attempt of making ginisang munggo. This is a lentil soup dish, with many versions. Some add tinapa, a dried, smoked fish popular on the island, and sometimes pieces of deliciously salty chicharon. A girlfriend mentioned that she tops off the dish with some olive oil and red vinegar. I made mine with pieces of pork belly and shrimp, and topped with spinach.
I often think of my mother's cooking, her meticulous way of preparing her mis en place, how she intuitively knows what comes next, what spice is missing from the pot, and I'm hoping someday, my food will taste just as good as hers.
Ginisang Munggo
1 pkg lentils
1/2 b pork belly, skin removed, diced
1/2 lb shrimp, with head, peeled, deveined, and cut in bite-sized pieces
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tomato, diced
1 bunch spinach, washed and cleaned
Soak lentils overnight. Drain and discard green outer skin. Place lentils in heavy pot with enough water to cover lentil. Cook until lentils are soft, about 25 minutes. Do not drain.
In a medium pan, place pork belly with a cup of water. Bring to a boil, and simmer until cooked. Once all the water evaporates, and if there is not much pork fat rendered, add a teaspoon or two of cooking oil to brown the meat. Remove the cooked pork and set aside.
In the same pan, drain all oil except for 2 tablespoons. In medium heat, saute the garlic, followed by the onions. Once the onion is wilted, add the tomatoes, for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 2-3 minutes. Add the lentils including liquid. Let it come to a boil. Simmer for another 5 minutes, add the spinach, then cover. Take off the heat and season with fish sauce. Enjoy!
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