Greetings!

Here's a version of one of my all-time favorite dishes that is seldom cooked. Usually, this dish is commonly cooked without the Bitter Gourd Fruit, most of the time it is cooked only with Bitter Gourd Leaves and Chicharon. But today, I am going to cook Ginisang Monggo with Chicharon, Bitter Gourd Fruit, Bitter Gourd Leaves, and Tomatoes.

This dish is one of the most time-consuming dishes to cook. But you can lessen the boiling time of the Monggo Beans by soaking them in water overnight or you can crush the Monggo Beans before boiling them. If you are going to boil the Monggo Beans on a gas stove it is recommended that you soak them in water overnight to lessen the boiling time.

I came to know this dish when I was young. My father would plant Monggo Beans then he would harvest them and dry them under the sun. The dried Monggo Beans can last over a year.

This dish is also very versatile. In the absence of Bitter Gourd Leaves, you can use Moringa Leaves and Spinach. You can cook it without tomatoes, you can cook it without Chicharon. Needless to say, you can cook it with only the Bitter Gourd Leaves as the vegetable ingredient. If all the vegetables I mentioned are not available you can still definitely cook Ginisang Monggo without any vegetables but onion or garlic should not be omitted. With that being said, you can cook this dish if you only got Monggo Beans, Onion, or Garlic.

By the way, we call Bitter Gourd Fruit "Bunga ng Ampalaya or Ampalaya", Bitter Gourd Leaves as "Talbos ng Ampalaya".

So, without further ado, here's how I cook this very simple but delicious dish...

• Monggo Beans
• Bitter Gourd Fruit
• Bitter Gourd Leaves
• Chicharon
• Tomatoes
• Salt
• Cooking Oil
• Onion
• Green Pepper
• Garlic

Clean and slice the bitter gourd fruit

Clean and slie the tomatoes

Peel and slice the onion

Peel and slice the garlic

Was the bitter gourd leaves

Wash and prepare the green pepper

Wash then remove the unwanted monggo beans (such as those that spoiled)

Prepare the chicharon

1. Put the monggo beans in a bowl add some water and boil it in high heat

2. When it starts to boil take a look at it once in a while to avoid all the water from being evaporated, do not let the water go empty, if it becomes almost empty add some water

3. When the monggo beans start to pop get a spoon and scoop some monggo beans, if the monggo becomes like the photo shown below boiling is done.

4. Sautee the onion and the garlic in a cooking oil

5. Add the tomatoes

6. Stir occasionally until you get this consistency

7. Add the boiled monggo beans

8. Add some water (you can definitely add how much water you wanted)

9. Add the chicharon

10. Add the green pepper, add some salt, let it boil

11. When it starts to boil add the bitter gourd fruit

12. When the bitter gourd fruit is cooked and when the taste is now okay, add the bitter gourd leaves then turn off the flame (the bitter gourd leaves will be cooked in the heat of the soup)

14. Stir a little, and it is done...

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I am a Computer Engineer, blogger, farmer, father, and husband. I love countryside living, nature, farming (rice/vegetables), and has two decades of experience as an I.T. professional