Ginisang Bunga ng Malunggay is a Filipino vegetable dish made out of sauteed moringa fruit, sweet potaotes and pork in tomatoes.
After more than a decade at last I had seen this very elusive vegetable, the Moringa fruit. I never knew this existed in New Zealand as I only saw this in the Philippines but after reading some forums online where a person asked where to find this in America, someone answered try Indian specialty shops and that’s where I got my idea. Luckily for me there was a new bulk Indian spices store that opened near our place and I gave it a visit and to my surprise I saw heaps of this freshly imported from Fiji. It was quite expensive at $14.99 per kg its 15 times the price of bok choy or kailan but with more than 10 years of not eating them I would pay any price.
For non-vegetable lovers you will dislike the taste as its bitter but not as bitter as bitter gourd, it has that unique taste that when you try them you can’t stop eating them. Back in the Philippines we have a tree at our backyard so this is a common vegetable used in our family cooking, sometimes it’s added in soups and sometimes in stir fries. A very nutritious vegetable specially the leaves where it is believed to contain the following:
Four times more Vitamin A than carrots
Contains more Vitamin C than oranges.
Contains more Calcium than milk, also contains twice the protein than milk.
Contains three times more potassium than bananas
Contains three times more iron than spinach.
It contains more than 90 nutrients and 46 types of antioxidants.
These are just the highlights and there are even tons of other benefits like aid in digestion, better skin, stimulate metabolism, etc. It’s not called a “Miracle Tree” without any reason. Still not convinced? Just Google its health benefits to find out more.
For this recipe we will make a simple stir fry with tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pork and lima beans. Very nutritious, very healthy at the same time very yummy!
Ginisang Bunga ng Malunggay is a Filipino vegetable dish made out of sauteed moringa fruit, sweet potaotes and pork in tomatoes.
Ingredients
Scale
around 15 pcs malunggay (moringa) fruit
1 medium sized sweet potato, sliced into thin strips
1 cup cooked patani (lima beans)
300 g pork belly, sliced into small cubes
1 1/2 cup pork stock
1 pc large tomato, sliced
1 onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
freshly ground black pepper
fish sauce
oil
Instructions
Prepare your moringa fruit by splitting it lengthwise then slicing them further in the middle resulting into quarters. Gently scrape the pulp to separate it with the tough skin making sure you get it in one long strip. Do it with the remaining then cut them into two inch sections.
wow! how was it? i love malunggay! but i didn’t know it had a fruit?? i’m from the phils and is this easily acquired? i mean, i can go in any palengke and get this?
I have not tried this in the Philippines but we have so many of these in our farm. I did not even have an inkling idea that it can be eaten. Shame on me… Thanks fort his recipe.
Try ninyo malunggay fruit sa sinampalukang manok at ginisang monggo. Love it at masustansiya ito. Ngayon ito naman ang e try kong recipe. Panahon ngayon na may bunga ang malunggay.
wow! how was it? i love malunggay! but i didn’t know it had a fruit?? i’m from the phils and is this easily acquired? i mean, i can go in any palengke and get this?
★★★★★
Yea this is available in palangke, its nice and if you like ampalaya you will love this.
Thanks raymund!
I have never heard of the moringa fruit. It’s flavor sounds very interesting.
I never heard of this fruit!
Oh my this dish looks wonderful!
★★★★★
I have not tried this in the Philippines but we have so many of these in our farm. I did not even have an inkling idea that it can be eaten. Shame on me… Thanks fort his recipe.
Nandito lang ako sa Pilipinas pero di pa ako nakakain ng bunga ng Malunggay. Mai-try nga ito!
I love and enjoy more eating the fruit rather than the leaves. Do not gather the mature fruits though.
I can guess that I would never find malunggay in my rural area of New Hampshire but I always love learning about new dishes.
★★★★★
I’m so tempting to find out this kind of exotic bean!!!
you’ve just add one of the hunt list for me Ray….
My husband loves malunggay fruit. I will try this recipe.thanks!
★★★★★
One of my favourite vegetables 🙂
Try ninyo malunggay fruit sa sinampalukang manok at ginisang monggo. Love it at masustansiya ito. Ngayon ito naman ang e try kong recipe. Panahon ngayon na may bunga ang malunggay.
★★★★★
Nakakainggit naman buti pa diyan panahon na. Dito mahirap ito hanapin 🙂