Special Pork Giniling Recipe
This Pork Giniling recipe is made by simmering ground pork and vegetables in a delicious tomato sauce made more flavorful with butter and cheese! It is a popular Filipino comfort food that is hearty, economical, and so easy to make!
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 3-5 tablespoon tomato sauce
- 1 -2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 500 grams ground pork
- 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon calamansi juice (or lime juice)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium potato
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1/2 - 1 cup grated cheese
- 1 cup green peas
- 6 pieces hard-boiled eggs
- Saute garlic and onion in a pan over medium heat until limp and aromatic. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook until the oil starts to separate from the sauce.
- Add the ground pork and cook until meat is lightly brown. Add water and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, calamansi juice, salt, and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes. Add butter and cover pan with lid. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add carrots, potatoes, and bell pepper. Cover the pan with lid and simmer for 5 more minutes or until vegetables are cooked.
- Add grated cheese and mix until completely melted. Add green peas and cook for another minute then put in hard-boiled eggs and mix.
- Transfer to a deep serving dish and serve with rice.
Why make it?
It is perfect for everyday meals, especially on those busy weekdays and nights. It is a straight-forward one-pan dish so cooking it is a breeze! The ingredients are simple and very affordable. You can make it even simpler by using just ground pork, tomato sauce, potatoes, and carrots with the usual aromatics and condiments and it will still be super yummy!
This dish is also ideal for casual gatherings with family and friends, especially when you are expecting quite a few guests. You can make a large serving and add a few more ingredients to make it more special without going over your budget!
What is Giniling?
Giniling is the Tagalog term for "ground meat". It is a stew traditionally made of ground pork and veggies such as carrots, potatoes, bell pepper, and green peas. These are simmered in tomato sauce until the flavors seep out and blend together to make a flavorsome dish. Though you can serve it without hard-boiled eggs, I love adding them to the dish because the flavors and texture work so well together! It also makes the dish much more filling.
It is common to pair it with steaming hot rice for lunch or dinner. Any left-overs are used as "palaman" or sandwich spread paired with hot Pandesal for breakfast the following day. Some also use it as a stuffing for Empanadas. I remember my mama would even use left-overs to make Tortang Talong, a Filipino eggplant omelet.
You might encounter some recipes referring to this dish as Filipino Picadillo. However, there are a few differences between the two. Picadillo is commonly made using ground beef and fresh tomatoes and has a soupy consistency. While this recipe uses ground pork stewed in a rich tomato sauce.
Foxy Tips for Pork Giniling Recipe
Make sure to cut the potatoes, carrots, and bell pepper in uniform sizes to ensure even cooking.
You can also use hard-boiled quail eggs instead of chicken eggs.
Add some raisins or pineapple tidbits if you want it to have a sweeter taste.
