Ginataang Tahong

Ginataang Tahong (Mussels in Coconut Milk)

A quick Filipino one-pot dish where fresh mussels steam open in a fragrant coconut broth of ginger, garlic, onion and chilli, finished with leafy greens. Ready in under 30 minutes.

Prep

20 min

Cook

15 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •1 kg (2¼ lb) fresh mussels (tahong), about 1 kg in shells; scrubbed and debearded
• •400 ml (1¾ cups) coconut milk, canned full-fat coconut milk, or fresh gata
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) water, or thin coconut milk
• •40 g (1½ oz) ginger, about a 5 cm knob, peeled and sliced into thin coins
• •6 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
• •1 medium onion, red or white, sliced
• •2 whole long green chillies (siling haba), or 1–2 bird's eye chillies, sliced, to taste
• •1 tbsp fish sauce (patis), or salt, to taste
• •1 tsp cooking oil, neutral oil
• •1 cup malunggay leaves, or 2 cups baby spinach / chili leaves; malunggay leaves stripped from stems
• •1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, optional

Steps

1. 1 Prepare the mussels: pull off any beard (the fibrous threads) with a firm tug toward the hinge. Scrub the shells under cold running water and knock any open mussels sharply against the sink - if they do not close when tapped, discard them. Set aside.
2. 2 Heat the oil in a large pot or deep pan over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant, then add the onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes.
3. 3 Pour in the coconut milk and water. Add the fish sauce and the whole green chillies. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer - do not let it boil hard, or the coconut milk may split.
4. 4 Add the mussels in one layer (work in two batches if your pot is small). Cover and steam for 4–6 minutes, until the shells have opened wide.
5. 5 Remove the lid. Discard any mussels that remain tightly closed after steaming - they are not safe to eat. Stir in the malunggay leaves (or spinach) and cook for 30 seconds until just wilted.
6. 6 Taste the sauce and adjust with more fish sauce or a pinch of salt. Finish with black pepper if using. Serve immediately, ladled with plenty of the coconut broth, over steamed rice.