My baby kalamungay (malunggay/moringa) tree is growing and has leaves. I love the challenge of coming up with something to cook with the products of my garden. When I think of kalamungay, I think Filipino foods! I decided on mung bean soup/stew since I really enjoy eating it.

It is a simple dish that my husband and I love. I browned some onion, garlic, and tomatoes in a pot. Next, I added thinly sliced pork belly and fried it until it browned. I would have used a less fatty cut of pork but that is all I could find at the store I went to that afternoon.

I added a box of chicken bone broth and brought it to a boil. Next, I added almost a cup of split mung beans and let it simmer.

I added some salt, pepper, and patis to the pot. While the beans were simmering, I went to my backyard to my baby kalamungay tree and snipped off some branches.

I had just enough leaves for my soup/stew. I just washed it and picked the leaves off the branches and put it aside.

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About two minutes before I served the mung bean stoup, I added the leaves in to soften it. Yum! It was a hit with my daughter and husband! Living Hilo Style.