Laswa made special with mushroom and monggo sprout

    Laswa or vegetable stew is a Visayan favorite and this comes in many variation. My mother would say that when you cook "laswa" you should have an odd number ( Even is a no no!!) so that everything will go well or sampat in our Hiligaynon mother tongue. 

    Okra and saluyot are two magic ingredients because they give that special slimy texture in the soup, so either of these two must be present. What makes this laswa special is the mushroom and the mongo sprout since they are not usually used to add flavor to the soup. Usually, dried fish or shrimp is used to add flavor to this favorite dish. 

Lastly, malunggay or moringa is one leafy green that is staple for laswa. I did not consciously observe the Odd rule here but hey, I got 6 main ingredients but I'm still lucky that it turned out yummy.

tomatoes

onion

water

lemongrass, bound

Oyster Mushrooms, shred

Saluyot, half chopped and half whole

3 stalks Malungay (Moringa) leaves

2T mongo sprout

okra, sliced diagonally

a slice of squash, cubed

salt and fish sauce

    In a deep pan, add water, tomatoes and onions, bound lemongrass, shredded mushroom and chopped saluyot, cover and bring to boil.

    Add mongo sprout and squash plus add salt and fish sauce to taste. Cover until squash is tender.

    Add malunggay and the rest of the saluyot. Cover and let cook in the remaining heat after putting off fire. 

    Remove bound lemongrass before serving.