CookNotedRecipes worth remembering
← Back to all recipes
Giniling

Giniling

Filipino Giniling — Sweet, Savory Ground Pork Comfort

This homestyle Filipino dish turns humble ground pork into something deeply satisfying with its balance of savory tomato sauce and surprise bursts of sweetness from raisins. The vegetables add color and texture while everything simmers together into a comforting one-pot meal that's perfect over steamed rice.

FilipinoAsianDinnerComfort FoodBudget FriendlyOne PotPork
Prep15 min
Cook25 min
Total40 min
Servings4
Difficultyeasy

Ingredients

  • 1 lbground pork, preferably 80/20 for best flavor
  • ½ large onion, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 14 ozcanned tomato sauce
  • 3 tbsptomato paste
  • 3 tbspsoy sauce
  • 2 tspfish sauce
  • 1 potato, diced small (about 1/2-inch pieces)
  • 10 baby carrots, diced small
  • 1½ bell peppers, any color
  • ½ cupfrozen or fresh peas
  • ⅓ cupraisins (golden or regular)
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled(optional)
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • salt(optional)
  • 3 tbspneutral oil for cooking

Instructions

  1. Warm the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions, potatoes, and carrots, stirring occasionally until the onions turn translucent and the vegetables start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant. Transfer all the vegetables to a plate and set aside.
    ⏱ 5 min
  2. Using the same pan, add the ground pork and break it apart with your spatula as it cooks. Keep stirring and chopping until no pink remains and the meat has developed some nice browned bits.
    ⏱ 5 min
  3. Pour in the tomato sauce and stir in the tomato paste, soy sauce, and a generous amount of black pepper. Mix everything thoroughly so the pork is well-coated with the sauce mixture.
  4. Return your cooked vegetables to the pan along with 1/2 cup of water. Let this simmer together, stirring occasionally, so the flavors can meld and the vegetables continue cooking.
    ⏱ 10 min
  5. Stir in the bell peppers, peas, raisins, and fish sauce. Give everything a good mix, and add another 1/2 cup of water if the mixture looks too thick or starts sticking to the pan.
  6. Continue cooking until the potatoes and carrots are fork-tender and the flavors have had time to come together. Taste and add salt if needed — the fish sauce and soy sauce provide plenty of saltiness, so go easy.
    ⏱ 5 min
  7. Spoon into bowls and nestle the hard-boiled eggs on top if you're using them. Serve over steamed rice for the full experience.