Filipino Giniling Recipe (with Liver Spread)
This Filipino Giniling is my take on the dish I grew up eating for baon. Made with ground pork, potatoes, carrots, tomato sauce and liver spread, this savoury Filipino comfort food is an easy one-pot meal that's perfect with a big bowl of rice.
Ingredients
- 600 g ground pork
- 1 pc large carrot peeled and diced
- 1 pc medium potato peeled and diced
- 1 pc medium onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/8 cup vinegar
- 1/3 cup liver spread
- 200 g tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 pcs bay leaf
- 200 g quail eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a deep pan, pour in about 3 tbsp of neutral oil over medium heat. Once it’s hot, fry your vegetables first until you get a good crust on the outside.
- Remove your vegetables from the pan.Start sauteeing your onion and garlic until fragrant.
- Add your ground pork, soy sauce, and vinegar, then cook until the meat absorbs most of the liquid and some of it has evaporated, but not completely.
- Pour in your tomato sauce, water, and bay leaf, then let everything come to a simmer.
- Mix in your liver spread until it is fully dissolved. Add more water if necessary, especially if there’s not enough liquid left.
- Add your fried potatoes and carrots back in, along with your cooked quail eggs. Season with salt and pepper to taste!
- Cover your dish and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Serve your giniling with rice (of course) and enjoy my favourite baon - now yours too!
TIP: Make sure to pat your carrots and potatoes dry so they won’t stick too much to the pan. Frying them first will help them retain their shape without becoming mushy.
Your pork will release moisture as it cooks, and this is completely normal! I suggest letting the liquid evaporate to ensure the meat absorbs the soy sauce and vinegar.
Similar to how menudo is cooked, I like adding soy sauce and vinegar to balance the acidity and flavour of our tomato sauce. Both condiments complement the sauce well!
You may add more water if you prefer it more saucy. You’ll notice that it will thicken as it simmers, so feel free to add more liquid. I suggest adding ½ cup at a time until you get the consistency you like!
I like adding liver spread because it adds richness and depth to the dish in a very subtle way!