Beef Giniling (Filipino Picadillo)

Giniling is a comforting, colorful ground beef dish filled with all sorts of vegetables simmered in a rich tomato sauce. It’s hearty, tasty, and goes perfectly with a bowl of warm rice or other side veggies!

What is giniling?

In Tagalog, giniling literally means “ground meat”, which is an umbrella term for a variety of ground meat dishes involving chicken, pork, or sometimes even fish.

Filipino cuisine is a melting pot of various cuisines, influenced by histories of colonization and trade routes by nearby Asian countries. If you’re familiar with Picadillo, which is a Latin American dish, Giniling is also very very similar, brought about by Spanish colonization with minor influences from Asia.

Aside from history, giniling is a super straightforward, one-pot dish! It’s incredibly versatile and affordable, perfect for those weeknights where you’re looking for a dish to “clean out” your fridge.

Looking for more easy Filipino meals? Here’s a couple more that you’ll LOVE:

• Soy-Marinated Filipino Short Ribs
• Lugaw (Filipino rice porridge)
• Spicy Chicken Adobo
• Atchara (Pickled papaya salad)
• Chili Garlic Sinangag (Filipino garlic fried rice)

Ingredients for giniling

Servings: 6-8

• 500 g ground beef
• 2 tbsp oil, for frying
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 100 g potato, diced (about 1 small potato)
• 100 g carrot, diced (about 1 small carrot)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/4 cup tomato sauce (can be substituted with crushed tomatoes)
• 1-2 tbsp tomato paste (add more for a stronger tomato flavor)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt, to taste
• ~1 cup stock (beef or chicken), just enough to cover the beef

• Cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped (for topping)

Other mix-ins

A quick Google-search online, and you’ll find countless recipes on how to make giniling, each with their own different versions. The beauty with this dish is that you can easily customize it to your own taste preferences by removing some ingredients, substituting it with another, or adding your own favorite mix-ins to it! The possibilities are endless.

Here are some common mix-ins you could add to your giniling:

• Peas
• Raisins
• Crushed/chopped tomatoes
• Olives or capers
• Green onions
• Boiled eggs (traditionally quail eggs)

Instructions

Pour oil into a deep pan and fry the ground beef over medium heat until browned (make sure to break up any large chunks).

Add in the onions and garlic and saute until the onions have softened, about 2 minutes.

Add in the potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. Mix and saute for 2 minutes.

Add in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, ground black pepper, and salt. Mix well and saute for another 2 minutes.

Pour in the chicken stock. Bring this to a boil, then let simmer on medium-low for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots have softened and the liquid has reduced.

(Some people prefer their giniling to be more on the dry-side, so if you prefer it that way, continue to cook the giniling for a further 5-10 minutes on medium-high heat, or until the liquid has reduced to your liking)

Season the giniling with more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

Top with chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve with a side of rice, enjoy!

Final tips

• Since giniling is traditionally served with rice (or other side dishes), really authentic giniling is relatively strong in taste when eaten on its own. This is because the rice helps to balance out those bold flavors. If you do plan to eat this with rice, I’d suggest adding a couple more teaspoons/pinches of salt, soy sauce, fish sauce, and tomato paste (according to tastes) in order to really bring out those robust flavors.
• Try to dice the vegetables in somewhat similar sizes for more even cooking. This is especially particular for the potatoes, since larger-cut potatoes will take a longer time to simmer, while too-small cut potatoes will fall apart and become mushy/grainy in the giniling.
• Again, be sure to adjust the consistency of the giniling to your preference. Add more or less stock depending on how you like it (more-soupy or more-dry).