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.

Giniling Gisado (Sauteed Ground Meet with Vegetables)

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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
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 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

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19 Comments

  1. March 16, 2013 / 11:51 pm

    Very clever advice! You're right I can make more and use it later.

    • March 20, 2013 / 3:20 am

      Yup, I always makes a big batch of this 'cause it's so versatile. Thanks for stopping by Jules.

  2. Anonymous
    December 11, 2013 / 7:11 am

    im just curious. im just using store bought ground meat. how should i clean it? should i wash graound meat in a strainer? or just cook it directly?

    • December 18, 2013 / 1:58 pm

      I just cook it directly. Make sure your meat is all good still though. I usually give it a nose test. Just to be sure that it still smells alright. 😀

  3. Anonymous
    December 12, 2013 / 11:32 am

    how much servings can I make with this recipe?

    • December 18, 2013 / 1:59 pm

      Depends on what you use this for. I don't serve it like this – it's always accompanied with vegetables so with that – 6-8 servings should be safe.

  4. Anonymous
    January 21, 2015 / 2:24 am

    Hi, can I use tin tomatoes for this dish?

    • January 28, 2015 / 3:56 am

      You can if you want to – I prefer fresh though but if that's not available canned is fine, too. 🙂

  5. Anonymous
    January 29, 2015 / 3:09 pm

    Thanks for sharing your recipe. So simple and easy yet seem so delicious. God bless!

  6. May 5, 2015 / 5:14 am

    Great article! This is exactly the arise I give to my friends who do not know what to cook. Just cook a 1 kilo batch of giniling and divide it into 4-6 portions.
    Portion 1. Add cubed potatoes, bell peppers and a lot of stock and you have a soupy and filling dish.
    Portion 2: Make it as an omelette filling.
    Portion 3: Add chopped patola, stock and misua.
    Portion 4: Add potatoes, carrots and bell pepper in tomato sauce for instant menudo.
    Portion 5: Cook in tomato paste, tomato sauce and some chopped hotdogs for instant spaghetti meat sauce.
    Portion 6: Add to eggplant omelette.

  7. August 13, 2016 / 7:23 pm

    I made this dish with ground pork and home-roasted canned tomatoes. It was a little saltier than I am used to (my fault with the tomatoes) but major-league delicious nonetheless. Thanks for another great recipe.

    • August 16, 2016 / 4:50 pm

      You are most welcome Wendy! Thanks for letting us know! 🙂

  8. Deanna Bradley
    April 30, 2018 / 5:28 pm

    I just made this recipe with ground pork, canned tomatoes and added cubed butternut squash! Oh my, is it ever delicious! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!

    • abigail
      Author
      June 30, 2018 / 11:05 am

      This is truly yummy and hubby who is Brit truly love this, too. Thanks!

  9. Kristen Wood
    January 28, 2022 / 9:09 pm

    5 stars
    My family loved this! Thank you. 🙂

  10. Rachna
    January 28, 2022 / 9:32 pm

    5 stars
    Looks so delicious. Perfect for advance meal prep.

  11. Anjali
    January 29, 2022 / 12:42 am

    5 stars
    This recipe looks so hearty and flavorful! Can’t wait to make it for dinner tomorrow night!

  12. Kacie Morgan
    January 29, 2022 / 5:51 am

    5 stars
    I have some minced pork in the freezer and I wasn’t sure what to do with it, but I might give your recipe a whirl! Looks so tasty.

  13. Tavo
    January 29, 2022 / 6:18 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious; thank you for this fantastic recipe! Very straightforward and easy to make, I will make it again!!

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