Ginataang Tahong

This is an enhanced variation of how I cook marine mussels or "tahong" in Filipino term. I used "mustasa" as my veggie instead of the usual "malunggay" to add a distinct taste to it. However, if you prefer "malunggay" go ahead. There's nothing wrong with it. Anyway, this packs a lot of vitamins and minerals which helps in your daily needs, such as, Vitamin B12, Manganese, Iron and Vitamin C.


Ingredients:

• 1 kilo mussel, cleaned
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 2 cups coconut cream
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
• 5 gloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 thumb-sized ginger, cut into thin strips
• 5 stalks of lemon grass (tanglad)
• 4 fresh oregano leaves
• 3 medium sized tomato, quartered with seeds removed
• 2 finger chili (siling haba)
• 1 bundle mustard greens (mustasa)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp cooking oil

Cooking Procedure:

1. Medium heat cooking pot, then pour cooking oil
2. Saute ginger, then add tomato after about 5 seconds.
3. Then add garlic and onion, saute for another 5 seconds.
4. Pour in coconut milk, lemon grass and oregano leaves. Let boil.
5. Put in mussels, stir and then cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add mustard greens, finger chili and coconut cream.
7. Let it boil, then add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve mussels and broth in large soup bowls.

Tips:

• You could use malunggay leaves or banana blossoms instead of mustard greens.
• To extract coconut cream, add one part water to four parts shredded coconut.
• To extract coconut milk, add one part water to one part shredded coconut.

Watch video here:

Just so you know:

Ginataan, alternatively spelled guinataan, is a Filipino term which refers to food cooked with gatâ (coconut milk). Literally translated, ginataan means "done with coconut milk". Due to the general nature of the term, it can refer to a number of different dishes, each called ginataan, but distinct from one another.

Ginataan usually refers to viands, which are eaten with rice during the major meals of the day. It normally follows the form "ginataan na/ginataang + (whatever it is cooked with)". This recipes originated in the Philippines.