Pork Giniling Recipe

I like my pork giniling saucy. The ground pork simmers in tomato sauce with diced potatoes and carrots until everything is tender, and there is enough sauce left to mix into a plate of hot rice. A boiled egg on the side makes it a complete meal.

My mom used to cook pork giniling on regular days, and I remember her adding boiled eggs to it. I still add them to mine.

When I make it now, I let the pork simmer in the tomato sauce for 20 minutes before adding the potatoes and carrots. The pork gets enough time to cook in the sauce, and the vegetables go in later so they are just tender when the giniling is done.

What is Pork Giniling?

Giniling means ground meat, so pork giniling, or giniling na baboy, is a Filipino dish made with ground pork. I make this version with tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots, and boiled eggs. Some versions have green peas, raisins, or bell peppers, and mine leaves those out. You might also hear it called ginisang giniling, since ginisang means sautéed.

Why This Pork Giniling Recipe Works

• Garlic first, browned to light golden – I cook the garlic until light golden brown before adding the onion. It gives the oil more garlic flavor, which carries through when the pork cooks.
• A cup of water with the tomato sauce – Add the full cup of water. The pork has to simmer for 20 minutes before the potatoes and carrots go in, and an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce is not enough liquid for all that cooking. Some of the water cooks off as the giniling simmers.

Ingredients

• Ground pork – Regular ground pork works. If you want less fat, spoon off some of the grease after browning.
• Potatoes – Dice the potatoes into half-inch cubes. I recommend Yukon Gold or red potatoes if you want the pieces to stay intact. Russet potatoes can get softer as they simmer.
• Carrots – Dice them a little smaller than the potatoes, since carrots take longer to soften.
• Tomato sauce – One 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Use canned tomato sauce, not pasta sauce, which already has herbs and sugar in it.
• Garlic and onion – Crushed garlic and one minced onion.
• Pork bouillon cube – I use one cube to season the pork and tomato sauce. Taste the giniling before adding salt because the cube already contains salt.
• Sugar – I add just 1 teaspoon to tone down the sourness of the tomato sauce. The giniling should not taste sweet.
• Hard-boiled eggs – Optional. Four eggs are enough for this pot.

1. Heat the cooking oil in a cooking pot over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and sauté until light golden brown.
2. Add the minced onion and continue sautéing until softened.

1. Add the ground pork and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to break it into smaller pieces.
2. Add the pork bouillon cube, tomato sauce, and water. Stir well.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Ground pork should reach an internal temperature of 160°F. Use a food thermometer to check if needed.

1. Add the diced potatoes and carrots. Stir to distribute them evenly.
2. Continue simmering for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender and a fork slides easily into a potato cube.

1. Add the granulated sugar, then season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Stir until well combined.
2. Arrange the peeled hard-boiled eggs in the pot. Turn off the heat.
3. Transfer the pork giniling to a serving bowl.
4. Serve warm with steamed white rice. Share and enjoy!

What to Serve with Pork Giniling

• Steamed Rice – Best with plenty of tomato sauce.
• Garlic Fried Rice – Try this with leftover giniling for breakfast.
• Pandesal – Put a few spoonfuls inside warm pandesal for merienda.
• Atchara – Serve some on the side if you like something sour with your meal.

Storage

• Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftover giniling in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Add a little water when reheating if the sauce has become too thick.
• Freezer: Freeze pork giniling in individual portions for up to 3 months. Remove the boiled eggs before freezing because the whites can become rubbery. The potatoes may also be softer after thawing.
• Reheating: Thaw frozen giniling overnight in the refrigerator. Warm it in a pan over medium-low heat, stirring now and then, until it reaches 165°F. Add freshly boiled eggs at the end if you froze it without them.

More Ground Pork Recipes

• Pork Giniling with Quail Eggs – Ground pork in tomato sauce with raisins, green peas, carrots, and hard-boiled quail eggs.
• Pork Giniling Kaldereta – Ground pork cooked kaldereta-style with liver spread, bell peppers, and green olives.
• Pork Giniling Croquette – Mashed potato mixed with cooked giniling, coated in panko and fried until golden.
• Ginisang Repolyo with Giniling – Cabbage sautéed with a little ground pork, tomatoes, and bell peppers.
• Arroz a la Cubana – Ground beef and pork over rice with fried saba bananas and fried eggs.

• Ground pork – Ground chicken works. My chicken giniling uses green peas and a full 15-ounce can of tomato sauce.
• Pork bouillon cube – A beef cube works. You can also replace the water and cube with 1 cup of pork or chicken broth and season with salt at the end.
• Tomato sauce – An 8-ounce can of crushed tomatoes gives a chunkier sauce.
• Potatoes – Diced kamote (sweet potato) cooks in about the same time and makes the dish a little sweeter.
• Hard-boiled eggs – About a dozen hard-boiled quail eggs.

I have always liked pork giniling for its simplicity. I think it is fair to say Filipinos are into it as much as Americans are into chili, and it is just as much a part of regular home cooking. Serve it hot with freshly cooked rice.