Ginataang Munggo or Mung Bean Porrige begins with a Filipino-essential base of mung beans and glutinous rice. Early preparations likely combined these staples into a basic porridge, and cooks later added coconut milk to give the recipe its creamy texture.

Over time, Filipino cooks continued to expand the recipe by incorporating root crops such as taro and sweet potatoes for added sweetness and softness, along with saba (Thai bananas) and ripe jackfruit to introduce aroma and depth of flavor. People commonly enjoy Ginataang Munggo as an afternoon snack or during merienda (a pause during the day to snack and relax with those you love), where it continues to stand as a familiar and satisfying part of Filipino food culture.

What Are Mung Beans?

Mung beans are small, green legumes popular across Asia, particularly in countries like the Philippines, India, and China. Farmers cultivate them because they grow quickly and because they are nutritious. Mung beans typically are round or slightly oval beans with a green outer skin and a pale yellow interior. Their taste boarders on nutty and earthy with a versatile texture that works in porridges, stir-fries, and salads. Because they’re a legume, the roots of the plant fix nitrogen into the soil, which makes them a valuable crop to put in rotation with other kinds of foodstuffs.

Ginataang Munggo (Mung Bean Porridge)

---

• Author: Rafe Vencio

Print Recipe

Description

Comforting when you need a bowl that feels like home along the coast.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup green mung beans
• 1 cup glutinous rice or 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 1 can coconut cream
• 2 cups water or more as needed
• 1 cup sugar, less or more to adjust to your preference

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Wash and rinse glutinous rice and set aside.
2. Toast the mung beans in a dry skillet or pan until evenly browned. Using a mortar and pestle or food processor, grind the beans coarsely.
3. Bring coconut milk and 1 cup water to a boil then add the toasted mung beans and washed rice. Cook on medium heat until soft; add more water as needed if it starts to dry out. Once cooked, add the coconut cream and sugar to taste.
4. If adding optional ingredients: boil the root vegetables separately until soft and set aside, add to the sweet porridge at the last step; add jackfruit as well if using.

Recipe and Styling by Rafe Vencio
Photography by Dave Bryce

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.