PICADILLO (Giniling)
Tita Becky •
Oct 14, 2025
Filipino Picadillo or “Giniling” and “Menudillo” is a staple dish in many Filipino households. Made with ground meat like beef or pork, cooked in onions, garlic and seasoned with salt, black pepper and fish sauce or patis to give it a distinct flavor. Tomato sauce, tomato paste, a little water and fish sauce is then added to creative a rich and thick luscious sauce. It also includes diced potatoes, diced carrots, peas and raisins. Best enjoyed with steamed white rice.
This dish holds a special place in my heart as it was one of my favorite childhood dishes that my mom prepared when she had extra money. Beef or pork was expensive and it was quite a treat when she cooked it. It was the perfect comfort food -flavorful, hearty, meaty, and delicious. It’s a type of dish that made me eat more steamed white rice than usual haha.
Ingredients (14)
Ingredients (14)
Instructions
Preheat you pan or wok to medium-high heat.
Add cooking oil (1 Tbsp)
Add garlic (3 cloves) and onions (½ small). Saute for a couple of minutes or until fragrant.
Add ground beef (1 lb). Break it up using a wooden spatula. Cook until it's no longer pink.
Season with salt ( to taste), black pepper ( to taste) and fish sauce (2 Tbsp) and saute.
Add tomato sauce (8 oz), tomato paste (1 tsp) and water (½ cup). Stir. Season with fish sauce (2 Tbsp).
Add potatoes (1 medium) and carrots (1 medium). Stir. Cover and reduce heat to medium and let the vegetables cook until tender.
Add frozen peas (½ cup) and stir. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
Taste if it needs more fish sauce or salt ( to taste) and if the taste is to your liking then it's ready to serve.
Notes
Notes
INGREDIENTS and SUBSTITUTIONS
- BEEF: I like to use beef for this recipe specifically with 10% fat for more flavor, but you can lean ground beef or use any tpe of ground meat like pork, chicken or turkey.
- TOMATO SAUCE and PASTE: They gives the dish a rich, slighty sweet, and tangy flavor. The acidity helps to blance the savory flavor of the ground meat, while also adding moisture and depth.
- POTATOES, CARROTS and PEAS: It’s not Picadillo for me without these 3 vegetables. They add nutrition and texture. Add as much or as less as youd like.
- RAISINS: I’m not the biggest fan of adding raisins to savory dishes. I strongly dislike the soft and soggy texture of the raisins when it’s cooked. However, I will always add raisins to Picadillo because it adds a natural sweetness to the dish. I also can hear my mom in my head telling “lagyan mo ng pasas” (Add raisins!)
- FISH SAUCE: This Filipino staple condiment is the main seasoning used in this dish. It’s added to the ground beef along with salt and black pepper to balance the richness of the beef. It’s also added to the tomato sauce. You can use beef bouillion or powder but fish sauce is enough for me. If you’re allergic to fish sauce, then add soy sauce instead.
