Chicken Soup with Mongo Beans
Submitted by miknjul
Filipino chicken soup simmered with peeled mung beans, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, fish sauce, and anchovy until thick and hearty. A nourishing one-pot comfort meal.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minIn Filipino kitchens, this soup is a staple that warms you from the inside out.
Chicken pieces get browned with ginger and garlic, then simmered with quartered tomatoes, anchovy, and fish sauce until fork-tender.
Peeled mung beans (mongo) cook right in the broth until they soften and thicken the soup into something rich and substantial.
The result is deeply savory with layers of umami from the fish sauce and anchovy that make this far more complex than its humble ingredients suggest.
Variations
- Toss in cubed bitter melon for an authentic bitter-sweet contrast
- Stir in fresh spinach or other leafy greens in the last few minutes
- Swap the chicken for pork for a different but equally satisfying version
Kitchen Tips
- Boil the mung beans until the skins slip off easily, then rub them between your palms in cold water to peel
- The soup thickens as it sits, so add water when reheating to loosen it up
- A squeeze of calamansi or lime juice at the table brightens the whole bowl
Ingredients
Directions
Fry chicken in oil until slightly brown, stirring constantly.
Add ginger and garlic and stir until garlic is browned.
Add tomatoes until soft, then add 4 cups of water.
Add anchovy and cook.
Bring to boil, then simmer until chicken is tender.
While chicken is simmering, boil beans in water until they are easy to peel.
This is done by placing a bean between your fingers and rubbing the skin off the beans.
When this is done with ease, remove from stove and drain.
Add cold water to beans and then rub beans between your palms until almost all of the beans have been peeled.
Keep replacing cold water and peeling will drain with water.
When chicken is tender, add beans to soup and cook until soup is thick and beans are soft.
Add water, if necessary.
Variation: Bitter melons, cut in squares or leafy vegetables such as spinach may be used.
Pork may be used instead of chicken.
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