Giniling Guisado/Ginisa – Basic Recipe (Sauteed Ground Pork or Beef)

My family’s tried and tested formula recipe for a basic and versatile ground meat dish that’s perfectly seasoned and tasty – Ginisa or Giniling Guisado (Basic Sauteed Ground Beef or Pork). Simply add your favorite vegetables to the mix for a complete meal or add extra tomato sauce to make it a yummy stew!

In the Philippines or at least in our household, this is the foundation of a lot of dishes, especially when combined with a lot of vegetables.

I always loved coming home to the aroma of this dish cooking on the stovetop as I know it would be either made with my favorite vegetable – squash or some green beans, among others.

Giniling is the Tagalog term for ground and specifically refers to ground meat.   Ginisa means to sauté or cook in oil with garlic, onions, or tomatoes which is what this dish is all about. Guisado is a Spanish term that refers to braising or stewing meat with tomatoes, garlic, onions and soy sauce – the Asian guisado, anyway.

Which is which? Well, whether you call this ginisa or guisado… it’s down-home good especially when you combine it with vegetables or use it for omelets.

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FOR FULL RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS and to PRINT, SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW.

WHAT INGREDIENTS TO USE FOR BASIC SAUTEED GROUND MEAT (GINILING GUISADO)?

• Olive or Vegetable oil
• Garlic cloves, chopped (love garlic so I always use a lot!)
• Onion, chopped
• Ground Pork or Beef (whichever you prefer)
• Roma or Plum tomatoes, diced and seeded (if desired)
• Soy sauce (adjust it to the level of saltiness you prefer)
• Water
• Salt and pepper
• Patis / Fish sauce (optional)

HOW DO I MAKE BASIC SAUTEED GROUND MEAT (GINILING GUISADO)?

Heat oil to medium in a deep pan. Sauté the garlic and onions for about a 1-2 minutes.

Add the ground meat and cook until it changes its color.

Crumble the meat with a fork to prevent clumping as you brown it. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. You can use fish sauce instead of salt for better flavor if you wish.

Add the diced tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce and water.

Bring to a boil. Cover then simmer on low heat for at least half an hour to allow the meat to absorb the flavor of the liquid. Correct the seasoning if necessary. If it needs a bit of lifting up, a little fish sauce will go a long, long way!

How can we use this basic recipe for other dishes?

The possibilities are endless.

Add your favorite vegetables and cook until tender  – from cabbage, squash, green or Asian long beans, chayote, etc….

Add to baked beans so it becomes  “true” Pork and Beans.

This is also a great stuffing for cabbage or even for Bell Peppers.

Definitely, indispensable for eggplant omelette (Tortang Talong) and Spanish/Potato omelette.

Note: If you intend to use this as a stuffing, let the water evaporate as you cook it. But if you wish to add veggies to the stew then retain the liquid so you have enough to pour over the rice.

Make this ahead, freeze and use as the need arises!

If you like what you see and would like to receive new recipe updates, we’d love you to subscribe to our posts or join our site. Needless to say, we’d love you to like us on Facebook or follow us on Pinterest where you can get more recipes and updates. Thanks and happy browsing!

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5 from 5 votes

How to make Giniling Guisado/Ginisa – Basic Sautéed Ground Pork/Beef

My family’s tried and tested formula recipe for a basic and versatile ground meat dish that’s perfectly seasoned and tasty – Ginisa or Giniling Guisado (Basic Sauteed Ground Beef or Pork). Simply add your favorite vegetables to the mix for a complete meal or add extra tomato sauce to make it a yummy stew!

Course Dinner, Main

Cuisine Asian, Asian Cuisine, Filipino, Southeast Asia

Keyword Basic Sautéed Ground Pork/Beef, giniling filipino recipes, giniling na baboy, giniling with tomato sauce, giniling with vegetables, How to make Giniling Guisado/Ginisa, how to make ginisang giniling, tortang giniling

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Manila Spoon

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Olive or Vegetable oil, or as needed
• 6 cloves Garlic, peeled and sliced, (love garlic so I always use a lot!)
• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground pork or beef, though pork is traditionally used in the Philippines
• 3 roma or plum tomatoes, diced and seeded (if desired)
• 3 tbsp soy sauce, adjust amount to the level of saltiness you prefer
• ½ cup water
• salt and pepper, to taste
• a little patis / fish sauce (1 tsp or to taste), optional but adds another depth of flavor (you may replace soy sauce with this, too – just adjust amount to taste)

Instructions

• Heat oil to medium in a deep skillet or wok. Sauté the garlic and onions for about 2 minutes or until fully aromatic.
• Add the ground meat and cook until it changes its color.
• Crumble the meat with a fork to prevent clumping as you brown it. Season with a little salt and pepper, to taste. You can use a little fish sauce instead of salt to season the meat if you wish.
• Add the diced tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce and water.
• Bring to a boil. Cover then simmer on low heat for at least half an hour to allow the meat to absorb the flavor of the liquid. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary. If it needs a bit of lifting up, a little fish sauce will go a long, long way! Serve with rice.

Notes

TIPS & TRICKS

So how can we use this basic ground meat recipe in other dishes?

Add your favorite vegetables once the meat is done and cook until tender. Use cabbage, squash, green or Asian long beans, chayote, etc.

Add to baked beans so it becomes “true” Pork and Beans.

This is also a great stuffing for cabbage or even for bell peppers.

Indispensable for eggplant omelette (Tortang Talong) and Spanish/Potato omelette. If you intend to use this as a stuffing/meat filling, let the water evaporate as you cook it. But if you wish to add veggies to the meat then retain the liquid so you have enough to pour over the rice.

Make this ahead, freeze and use as the need arises!

Last updated on November 1st, 2023 at 11:41 am