Bulanglang is blanket term for a dish of assorted vegetables in a flavorful broth. The flavoring for the broth varies in each region. Some regional versions use shrimp and fish, like in the Ilocano version. The recipe featured is based on the version that comes from the Batangas province but it uses dried fish or fish bagoong instead of salt. The use of dried fish enhances the broth’s flavor

Bagoong is a salty fermented sauce that is made from fish or shrimp. Fish bagoong is made from fresh fish stored in clay jars and packed with a lot of salt. This ferments overtime and produces patis, a light fish sauce and bagoong.

Vegetables used vary per region too. It usually depends on what is currently in season. Some ingredients such as the garlic, ginger and onion are used in most versions.

Bulanglang is a very healthy Filipino dish; just take care to adjust the amount of salty ingredients used.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Good for: 3 – 4 people

Ingredients

• 200 grams string beans
• 200 grams squash
• 200 grams okra
• 200 grams unripe papaya
• 100 grams sweet potato (kamote) leaf tops or malunggay (moringa) leaves
• 200 grams eggplant
• 100 grams minced garlic
• 100 grams chopped onions
• 150 grams chopped ginger
• 100 grams shredded dried fish or 1/4 cup fine fish bagoong
• 1.2 liters of water

Bulanglang

Method

Peel and slice vegetables to bite size pieces. Stems should be removed from the leafy vegetables.

Pour water in a casserole then add garlic, ginger, onions and dried fish or bagoong.

Bring to a simmer then add squash.

Add string beans, okra and eggplant after 2 minutes.

Simmer until squash is soft.

Add more water if necessary to maintain previous level

Add the leafy vegetable last.

Adjust saltiness by adding more water or fish sauce.

Turn off heat once squash is soft. The remaining heat will cook the rest of the vegetables.

Ideally the vegetables should be soft but firm instead of mushy.

Serve hot with plain rice and fried fish.

Bulanglang

Okoy is a quick and easy to prepare dish of bean sprout and shrimp. This can be partnered with rice but it is also a good snack on its own.

Deep frying in hot oil normally makes the shrimps very crispy. You can also use soft shelled shrimps if available. Vegetables aside from the bean sprout maybe added as long as they are sliced very thinly into strips. Experiment on your own.

Okoy is always accompanied by a spicy vinegar dip. This is usually made from coconut or palm vinegar. If only cider or grape vinegar is available you may mix it with water at a 1:1 ratio. Add pounded garlic, red chili peppers and ground black pepper to make it spicy.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Good for: 2 – 3 people (about 6-7 patties)

Ingredients

• 2 cups mung bean sprouts, the type with longer stems
• 1 cup small to medium sized shrimps with shells removed or soft-shelled shrimps
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup singkamas (jicama) or carrots, sliced into thin strips (julienne), optional
• Cooking oil

Okoy

Method

In a bowl, mix egg, corn starch, salt and pepper. Mix until you reach a smooth consistency.

Add in vegetables and shrimp. Mix well so that the batter is evenly distributed.

Heat a pan or wok with enough cooking oil to reach 3 cm depth.

Test if oil is hot enough by dropping in a piece of bean sprout. If it sizzles immediately, the oil is hot enough.

Scoop about 2 tablespoon of vegetable and batter mix into the middle of the pan.

Fry okoy until the batter is crispy. Try to avoid getting the sprouts too burnt.

Once cooked, let excess oil drain or use paper towels to absorb oil.

Serve with a spicy vinegar dip.

Okoy

Ginisang Munggo is a dish composed of soft boiled mung beans and sautéed meat. The softened beans are usually flavored in a variety of ways. Shredded dried fish, pork cracklings, and shrimp are often used. Local leaf vegetables such as malunggay, alugbati and ampalaya tops are also be added. Some versions also add Sotanghon.

Mung bean is a common ingredient in Asian cooking. Whether as a bean or as sprouts, it appears in Japanese, Chinese and Indian cuisines. In its sprout form called togue, it is used as a filling for Filipino vegetable lumpia. It is also stir fried and served as Ginisang togue.

There are 2 main types of munggo available in Philippine markets; green and yellow. They are used interchangeably.

It has been an informal tradition to serve Ginisang munggo and fried fish on Fridays. It is a practice based on the Catholic tradition of not serving meat on this day.

The recipe listed here uses chopped ham and sotanghon (rice vermicelli). The noodles replace the vegetables. You can add your own ingredients to create your own version. If adding Sotanghon, a thinner, soupier consistency is best.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Good for: 3-4 people

Ingredients

• 200 grams mung beans
• 250 grams ham or pork cubes
• 1 tablespoon hibi or shelled dried shrimps
• 2 tablespoon chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 200 grams sotanghon or rice vermicelli
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 6 cups meat stock

Ginisang Munggo at Sotanghon – Mung Beans with Rice noodles

Method

Rinse and clean mung beans thoroughly.

Boil mung beans in a pot of water or stock until soft and mushy. Ensure that it does not dry out.

While mung beans are boiling, sauté ham, dried shrimp, onion and garlic. Allow the meat to brown slightly. Set aside once done.

Soak sotanghon in cold water. Drain water once noodles are soft.

Add sautéed meat to the softened mung beans. Mix well and simmer for 3 minutes.

Add salt and pepper until desired flavor is reached. Add more stock as needed to reach desired consistency.

Add sotanghon noodles to the simmering pot. You may also add the vegetables at this point. Mix well.

Turn of the heat and cover. If cooking with vegetables, turn of heat once vegetables are half-cooked. Do not add sotanghon before vegetables are done.

Serve warm in a bowl accompanied with fried fish and white rice.

Ginisang Munggo at Sotanghon – Mung Beans with Rice noodles

There are at least 3 types of gourd used as vegetables in the Philippines. Upo (bottle gourd), Patola (the source for loofah) and Ampalaya. Ampalaya or bitter gourd is a vegetable that’s an important ingredient in many Filipino dishes.

Ampalaya is commonly used in pinakbet, ginisa or cooked with beef and oyster sauce.

Some prefer the bitter taste of ampalaya, while others prefer to reduce it. The most common practice is to steep it in salt water at least 2 hours before cooking.

Younger fruit is more bitter but has a crunchier texture, which is preferred. Filipinos do not usually cook ripe ampalaya.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Good for: 2 persons

Ingredients

• 1 cup sliced ampalaya
• ½ cup cubed pork with fat and skin on.
• 1 tablespoon dried shrimp (hibe) or ½ cup shrimp meat
• 1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon minced onions
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce (skip if using dried shrimp)
• 1 ½ tablespoon rock salt. (Use half the amount if using fine salt)
• ½ cup beef or chicken stock

Method

Slice ampalaya into half, lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds and pith.

Slice into ½ inch thick pieces. Rub salt into sliced ampalaya and mix thoroughly.

Rinse ampalaya and place into a bowl; add ½ tablespoon salt and 2 cups of water. Stir until salt dissolves into the water. Store in fridge for at least 2 hours.

Thoroughly rinse and drain ampalaya slices. Set aside.

Whisk egg in a cup and set aside.

Set stove to lowest heat. Place pork cubes in a wok or pan and let it render fat. Stir to prevent pork from sticking to the bottom and to ensure it browns evenly.

Once pork cubes have browned, add garlic and onion. Stir continuously.

Set stove to medium heat. Add shrimp once onion is translucent.

Add tomatoes once shrimp is cooked. If using dried shrimp, you may add tomatoes immediately after adding it.

Add ampalaya slices and mix well.

Once ampalaya has softened slightly, add whisked egg. Keep stirring until all the egg is cooked.

Add fish sauce and pepper to taste.

Set stove to lowest heat. Add stock and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until most of the stock has evaporated. Do not let all the stock dry out.

Serve with plain rice.

Ginisang Ampalaya

You may also skip adding the stock if cooking larger amounts of ampalaya slices. It will have enough water content to help with cooking. You may also opt to have a drier and crunchier version of this dish by lessening cooking time for the ampalaya slices and not adding stock.

Kalabasa is another vegetable that is commonly consumed in the islands. It appears in several dishes from different regions. Pinakbet, Kinamatisan and Bulanglang to name a few. In these dishes kalabasa is just a part of the various vegetable ingredients. It has a relatively neutral flavor and as such is usually cooked in very flavorful broth.

In this dish kalabasa or squash is the primary ingredient. It is slow cooked in coconut cream and flavored with a seafood component. Other vegetables can also be added. Just be aware of their proper cooking time to avoid overcooking them.

The “ginataan” prefix in a lot of Filipino dishes means that the dish was cooked in coconut cream. Coconut is plentiful in the south east asia and makes an appearance in a lot of regional dishes. It gives a creamy, buttery texture to a dish and works well with spicy seasonings.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Good for: 2-3 persons

Ingredients

• 500 grams squash, peeled and sliced into bite size pieces
• ½ cup coconut cream
• 2 tablespoon cubed pork with fat
• 1 cup meat stock
• ½ cup shredded fried or smoked fish; make sure all bones have been removed
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce, you may substitute bagoong or sautéed shrimp paste
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper

Ginataang Kalabasa – Squash cooked in Coconut cream

Method

Heat cubed pork in pan until it renders fat. Add onions and garlic once it browns. Stir well.

Add grated ginger and chopped squash once the onion is translucent.

Lower heat; add meat stock and fish sauce. Cover pan and simmer for 2 minutes.

Add coconut cream and simmer until squash is tender. Stir once in a while to let the sliced squash fully absorb the broth’s flavor. Make sure to replace the cover.

Once squash is tender, turn of heat and add shredded fish.

Season with additional fish sauce and pepper to desired taste.

Ginataan Kalabasa is best served hot.

You can reduce the amount of stock and simmer the broth further to reduce the sauce to a creamier consistency. Shredded fish can be replaced by cooked ground pork.