Mongo beans and Chicharon

i was given 100 pesos
and took a challenge together with my sister
we both researched on something
that will satisfy our taste buds
and at the same time
keep the food on budget
but should be in the level of
satisfaction

so we decided to cook
"guinisang monggo"

the ingredients were cheap and simple

all you need is mongo beans
boiled until skin peels

ampalaya/ bitter melon

its bitter..so to reduce
a little bitterness
here's the technique

in a small bowl of water
put salt
then mix until salt is dissolved

together with the bitter melon,
just leave it there for 30min.

another ingredients were
garlic onion

and of course
the crispy
chicharon

to those who didn't know
this is a skin of pork
dried and fried

saute the garlic and onion
i put some salt
and pepper
as you can see in the photo
there's caramelization happening
that's the flavor im trying to get

then put water and mix

this is the time when the caramel
of the sauted onion and garlic dissolves
and becomes the flavor of this meal

once boiling...
put the boiled unpeeled monggo
beans...

keep on boiling
and put the bitter mellon

and boiling

when you noticed that the beans
has bloomed like the flower
meaning it doesn't look like beans anymore
mostly crushed
and the broth is a little thick...

it means its cooked already

you may put the chicharon
straight to the broth

but i preger it topped
on the guinisang monggo
id like to keep the crisp of it






this is a very healthy food rich in iron
though its not recommended to those who have
gouty arthritis...