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Munggo a la Cebu


Just flew in from a weekend in Cebu, and I now I have to deal with the "excess cargo" of that brief adventure. As always, our meals were abundant and extremely satisfying - to the point that I had to frequently order a hot cup of water or tea to digest everything properly (i.e., matunawan). I was there less than 72 hours, but I think I ate enough to last me 'til Christmas!

Anyway, one of our favorite things to eat in Cebu is the outrageously delicious munggo soup at Chika-an on Salinas Drive - a divine symphony of lentils and vegetables simmered in a hint of coconut cream. Totally TDF.

Today, I had another failure to lunch - or to breakfast, for that matter, so I decided to whip up a nice dinner of munggo guisado, adopting some of Chika-an's flavors and doing a little experimentation of my own. In honor of the Queen City of the South, I threw in a tribute to the famous Tabo-an dried fish market: sauteeing onions, garlic, and tomatoes with dried dulong instead of the traditional hibe (dried shrimp) and topping off the whole thing with pan fried dried and shredded squid. Eat with a "main course" of tocinong pusit and a smidgeon of rice...busog gyud! Pass the hot water, please.

Munggo guisado a la Cebu recipe here.

(Can you tell I was playing with Photoshop? Because it's raining outside - perfect munggo weather - the indoor lighting conditions were crummy...and so too the photographer's skills :-) )

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