Alido's Island Flavor - I [Heart] Mung Bean Soup / Mungo / Balatong

It was at my friend (and fellow Filipino food advocate) Aileen of Kitchen Kwento who asked the question, "what is your FAVORITE food?" at her farm to table gathering in Santa Cruz last month. I was in the middle in the string of people to answer so I had a little bit of time to think of it.

Then it hit me.

Balatong.

Actually it was more of a "duh..."

Balatong is a soup made with mung beans. Depending on where you go in the Philippines dictates what it is called. My mom is from the Pangasinan province and they call it balatong while Tagalog speakers called it mungo.

Balatong is my ultimate comfort food. I remember waiting for it to be cooked by my Inang and mom. There is a process to it and I learned to be patient. When it finished cooking, I was welcomed by the biggest feeling of home and love as I watched it served to me in a bowl with steamed rice. Mom would sometimes cook something along with it, such as tapa (soy-marinated beef) or fried chicken - as seen here:


Then it was my turn to answer. I had to face the crowd and tell them I was having an awful week, so I had it three times that week. I said it felt like having your life meter re-energized like in Super Mario Brothers or in a video game. I can honestly say balatong is my FAVORITE food ever. Whenever I feel down, balatong makes me feel so much better.

Even when I am not having a not-so-good day, I fiend for it. While my mom taught me how to make it, I've only cooked in a handful of times...plus when I want it, I want it right then and there. Admittedly, I have resorted to going to steam-table restaurants (known in Filipino as turo-turo restaurants) to satisfy my cravings:

from Irma's Pampangan Cuisine in SF


from Manila Bay Cuisine at Serramonte Mall in Daly City

Yes, I went to the MALL to get it! And before you go off on me saying it's not very pretty...well, it isn't. It's just a dish of stewed down mung beans. It's not fancy. It was never meant to be. It's humble and simple. As with every other Filipino family recipe, the recipes will vary. For example, Irma's adds spinach and bittermelon while the Manila Bay Cuisine's version has fried pork and shrimp. I actually like putting in tomatoes and fish sauce in mine. I also like mine on the thicker side. Like rice, the more you cook it, the thicker in consistency it gets.

While it was cool to get the balatong from the turo-turo spots and I guess I could wait for my mom to make it again, there just HAD to be a sit-down restaurant where I can go buckwild on my love for it. Enter Alido's.

Alido's Island Flavor
Address: 3560 Callan Boulevard at Westborough, SSF, CA
Phone Number: (650) 869-4457
Cuisine: Traditional Filipino

Alido's is a family-run restaurant situated on Callan Boulevard in South San Francisco. I confess. I like less than 5 (driving) minutes away and I have only been there twice before the visit I am about to recap. The first time was for Chloe's party and the second visit was for kapaMEALya's Family Style dinner. I came back not only because the food was yummy, the Alido Family is so warm and welcoming, but because they have a $5 menu and BALATONG WAS ON THAT MENU. Victory! $5 a dish?! Cool! I thought the soups, stews, and other entrees would come out in individual/personal-sized bowls, but NO.

Behold:


The bowl of misua noodle soup above could easily feed 2-3 people. Seriously. It was a cold day so this concoction of Asian angel hair in a silky broth was perfect...but you know what I came for:


Ernesto Alido, who was both our server and chef, told me that they used petchay/bok choy. Perfect. I ate the first spoonful so quickly that it gave me a second-degree on the roof of my mouth. I'm not kidding. But the pain was so worth it! You can tell here that the balatong is truly a "soup" because of the visible broth. I suppose since the balatong sits for a bit on the steam table at the turo-turo joints that the broth/cooking liquid simply evaporates creating a thicker stew. You know what though? This was awesome. It hit the spot in more places than one. I told Mr. Alido that I was so happy that I found a place that served it. Bonus that it is so close to home. Why I haven't come here more often? Idk. I'm stupid. I mean, the portions are waaaaaaaaaaay generous.

Let me show you the other dishes we got:


Keaton's Loco Moco
sorry, not on the $5 menu
but still really really good!

Fried Chicken and Veggies
I like having a little extra protein on the side when I eat balatong. The fried chicken here was a perfect choice. When I am at Irma's I eat it with Filipino bbq chicken on a stick. Sometimes mom fries up some salmon or buys a whole fried tilapia from the supermarket.

I will reiterate that balatong is my favorite food. Ever. Yes, ever. It just conjures up so many memories of my family and home in the Philippines and it's great that Keaton loves it as well. Side note: I think the balatong Keaton had in the Phils that had marungay/malungay in it changed his life.

While it's not as appreciated as say, adobo or kare kare or sinigang, it is truly something everyone should try at least once. I am lucky to have friends who have recipes for this great dish. I think you should visit their sites:



Jun Belen's Recipe for
Monggo Guisado and Fried Dried Fish

Btw, Jun's story brought me to tears. I am in love with his writing and how each food tells a story. While everyone has a story, he tells it like no other.

Malou's Recipe
for Mongo with Ham and Bacon Soup

I remember I was drawn to Malou's blog BECAUSE of the mongo recipe. Since then, I've read her blog and met her in LA. All thanks to mongo!






Annapet's Recipe for
Braised Mung Beans and Pea Shoots

Annapet lives across the Golden Gate Bridge and is the sweetest thing ever. I met her seredipitously at SF Chefs 2011 at Union Square and I need to make a date with her soon. =)






So for you who have always wanted to make balatong - mongo - monggo, you have no excuse not to make it now OR head over to Aldio's for a huge bowl! The weather has been rather chilly, ahhh November, so there is no better time than now. Take care everyone and stay warm!

xoxo,
Jo

PS: all photos and recipes are the property of their owners - especially those of Jun, Malou, and Annapet. Please visit their sites to see much more of there delicious recipes and breathtaking photographs.

PPS: Here is a piece I wrote for my family blog at myinang.blogspot.com about me, my Tatay, and balatong.

RIP Tatay.

I love you.

Missing you always.