Ginisang Okra is a simple yet flavorful Filipino dish made with okra sautéed in garlic, onions, and tomatoes. It's nutritious, delicious, and can be prepared in under 30 minutes-perfect for a quick and satisfying meal.
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Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Okra: A green vegetable with a slightly fuzzy skin and soft seeds inside. When cooked, it becomes a bit sticky (or mucilaginous), but it holds its shape well. It absorbs flavors nicely, making it great for stir-fry or sautéed dishes.
- Ground pork: You can use another cut of pork or swap it with other proteins like beef, chicken, shrimp, tofu, or smoked fish (fish flakes like tinapa). Each option adds its own flavor, so just use what you like or have available.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Brown the pork
Set a wok or sauté pan over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of oil (if your pork is fatty, skip the oil). Add the ground meat and cook until browned, breaking it up into small crumbles. Season with salt, then push it to one side of the pan.
Step 2: Sauté the aromatics
Sauté the onion and garlic until softened. Add the tomatoes and cook until they break down and caramelize, adding more oil as needed.
If you'd like some heat, you can also add sliced chilies. Then, toss everything together.
Step 3: Add okra and seasonings
In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and about 2 tablespoons of water to create the sauce.
Add the sliced okra and pour the mixture over it. Stir to combine, then cover the pan. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes until the okra is tender. Add more water if you want more sauce.
Step 4: Taste and adjust
Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add some ground pepper to taste, then turn off the heat.
Serve your Ginisang Okra with rice and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Ginisang Okra is a Filipino dish with okra sautéed in garlic, onions, and tomatoes. It's often cooked with pork or shrimp, and can be seasoned with soy sauce, fish sauce, or even shrimp paste.
Okra has a mild, slightly grassy flavor with a touch of sweetness. When raw, it's crisp and a bit fibrous. When cooked, it becomes soft and has a slightly sticky or mucilaginous texture.
More Filipino recipes with okra
- Pinakbet: A vegetable stew with okra, eggplant, squash, yardlong beans, and bitter melon, seasoned with fermented shrimp paste.
- Ginisang Okra with Bagoong: Sautéed okra with fermented shrimp paste or bagoong alamang.
- Adobong Okra: Okra cooked adobo-style with vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic.
- Ginataang Okra: A creamy dish where okra is cooked in coconut milk, often with shrimp or fish.
- Sinigang: A sour and savory soup with pork, shrimp, or fish flavored with a souring agent like tamarind or calamansi.
Other vegetable recipes you may like
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📖 Recipe
Ginisang Okra
Equipment
- Wok or Sauté pan
Ingredients
- 12 ounces okra ends trimmed and sliced diagonally into bite-sized pieces (see note)
- 8 ounces ground pork (see note)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 ripe tomatoes chopped
- 2 chili peppers sliced (adjust to taste)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons oyster sauce sub: fish sauce or shrimp paste
- 1 teaspoon sugar adjust to taste
- 2 tablespoons water more as needed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Neutral oil
Instructions
- Heat oil in a wok over medium-high (skip if using fatty pork). Brown the ground meat, breaking it into small crumbles. Season with salt and push to one side.
- Sauté the onion and garlic until softened.
- Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften and start to caramelize, adding more oil if needed. For some heat, add sliced chilies. Toss everything to combine.
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of water to make the sauce. Add the okra to the pan, then pour the mixture over it. Stir to combine.
- Cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes until the okra is tender, adding more water as needed.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add some black pepper to taste, then turn off the heat.
Notes
- Okra - A green vegetable with a slightly fuzzy skin and soft seeds inside. When cooked, it becomes a little sticky but holds its shape well and absorbs flavors nicely.
- Ground pork - You can use another cut of pork or swap it with beef, chicken, shrimp, tofu, or smoked fish (like tinapa flakes). Each adds its own flavor, so use whatever you like or have on hand.
Robb says
Should okra be crisp or limp after cooking? This looks so good, btw.
Nora Reyes says
Hi Robb, The okra usually ends up tender and a bit limp, not crisp. If you like it somewhat crisp, just cook it for less time. It’s really up to your taste how soft or firm you want it. Thanks!