IMBB #11: Glutinous Rice Coconut Soup with Toasted Mung Beans

Ginataang Totong - that's what it should say in Tagalog. This is my entry to the food blogging world's 11th edition of 'Is My Blog Burning?'. Currently hosted by Cathy in My Little Kitchen. Theme for this one is beans - the musical food or should I say 'gassy' food.

I don't know why this is called 'Totong' in our area in Cavite, Phils. All I know is that it's a sweet comfort food heartily taken especially during the cold season. Eaten in between meals (usually sandwiched between lunch and dinner), I can't call it snack because it is obviously heavy. Let's just say it's in-between meals meal. ;)

Toasted mung beans in it is the one referred to as 'totong'. The nuttiness of the beans brought about by the toasting and the gentle breaking up of it is the main event here. It lends a crunch that contrasts with the softness of the rice and creaminess of the coconut milk. The closest I can compare this to is the rice pudding. Best served warm with a few tablespoons of coconut cream on top although some people prefer to eat it cold.


Ginataang Totong
(Glutinous Rice Coconut Soup with Toasted Mung Beans)

1/4 cup mongo (mung beans)
1 cup malagkit (glutinous rice)
1 x 400 g  can of coconut milk (less 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup sugar
water

Put the mung beans in a frying pan and toast over medium heat until it turns brown. Shake the pan from time to time. Make sure to keep your eye on it because it burns easily.






Cool the toasted beans a little. Pour into a mortar and press on the beans with the pestle with just enough pressure to break the grains and detach the skin. Transfer to a shallow plate and separate the skin from the beans by blowing very gently on it with a blow drier or electric fan. Traditionally we would have this on a bilao (woven container for winnowing) and do a tahip (ano bang english sa tahip?) - throwing the grains gently up the air with the bilao and letting a gentle breeze to take away the skin from the bean grains. We do this a lot with rice. Anyways, I didn't have any fan or blow-drier in the kitchen so I just blew on it. Don't worry it was only me and my husband who ate it.

Reserve 1/4 cup of the coconut milk and set aside. Pour the coconut milk into a pot and add enough water to make 5 cups all in all. Add the glutinous rice and toasted mung beans. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes or until rice is throughly cooked. Stir from time to time to keep scorching at the bottom.

Add sugar and mix. Cook for a couple more minutes. Taste and add more sugar if preferred. Serve hot or cold topped with about a tablespoon of the reserved coconut milk.

ginataang totong