Gising-gising is a creamy, spicy Filipino dish usually made with winged beans.
This version uses green beans cooked in coconut milk with ground pork, shrimp paste, and chilies.
It's delicious with just the right amount of heat to "wake you up" - just as its name suggests.
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Ingredients You'll Need
Notes and Substitutions
- Green beans: Gising-gising is usually made with winged beans (sigarilyas), but since they're not easy to find here in the US, I'm using green beans (or Baguio beans) instead. You can also use yardlong beans (sitaw) or even asparagus.
- Ground pork: I'm using ground pork, but any ground meat works - chicken or beef. You can also use thin slices of pork or chicken, shrimp, or even smoked fish.
- Chilies: I used a mix of serrano and Korean chilies. You can also use siling haba (long green chilies) for mild heat or siling labuyo (bird's eye chilies) if you want it really spicy.
- Shrimp paste (bagoong alamang) - You can use fresh/raw or sautéed shrimp paste. If you're skipping it, fish sauce or even soy sauce works as a substitute.
How to Make Gising-Gising (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Prepare the green beans
Rinse 1 pound of green beans, trim off the ends, then cut into about ½-inch pieces.
Step 2: Brown the pork
Heat a wok or pan over medium-high heat (no oil needed if the pork has enough fat).
Add 8 ounces of ground pork and break it apart.
Let it cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown with slightly toasty edges.
Push the pork to one side of the pan, spoon out any excess fat if needed.
Step 3: Sauté the aromatics
Add a little bit of oil, if needed.
Sauté 4 garlic cloves (minced) and 1 small onion (finely chopped) until softened and fragrant.
Stir everything together.
Step 4: Add the shrimp paste and chilies
Add about 1 tablespoon of shrimp paste and cook for a minute to bring out its flavor.
Toss in the chilies (to your taste) and sauté for a minute to release their aroma and mellow the heat.
Step 5: Add the coconut milk
Pour in a 14-ounce can of coconut milk.
Stir and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce slightly thickens.
Season with about 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, then add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 6: Add the green beans
Add the green beans and more chilies if you like it extra spicy.
Cook for about 2 minutes, until the green beans are bright green and slightly tender but still crisp.
Serve your gising-gising with green beans with a warm bowl of rice and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Gising-gising (pronounced gee-sing gee-sing) is a spicy Filipino vegetable dish. Its name means "wake up, wake up," referring to the heat from the chilies. It is usually made with chopped winged beans, aromatics, coconut milk, and shrimp paste.
You can, but fresh green beans have a better texture. If using frozen, thaw them first and cook for a shorter time so they don't get mushy.
It depends on the chilies you use. Siling haba (long green chilies) are mild, while siling labuyo (bird's eye chilies) are very hot. Adjust the amount and type of chili to your preference.
Skip the meat and shrimp paste, then season with soy sauce or mushroom sauce. You can also add tofu for protein.
More Coconut Milk Recipes
- Laing: Taro leaves cooked in coconut milk with chilies.
- Ginataang sitaw at kalabasa: Yardlong beans and squash cooked in coconut milk.
- Bicol express: Pork cooked with coconut milk, chilies, and shrimp paste.
- Ginataang langka: Young jackfruit cooked in coconut milk.
- Ginataang ampalaya: Bitter melon cooked in coconut milk.
- Adobong pusit sa gata: Squid adobo with coconut milk.
- Ginataang puso ng saging: Banana blossoms cooked in coconut milk.
- Ginataang pusit: Squid cooked in coconut milk.
- Ginataang isda: Fish cooked in coconut milk with vegetables.
Vegetable Recipes You May Like
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📖 Recipe
Gising-Gising with Green Beans
Equipment
- Wok or large pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon shrimp paste
- 3-4 red or green chilies sliced
- 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Neutral oil
Instructions
- Heat a wok or pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork and break it apart. Cook until browned and slightly crisp. If the pork is lean, add a little oil.
- Add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened and fragrant.
- Add the shrimp paste and cook for a minute.
- Add the chilies and sauté for about a minute to release aroma and mellow the heat.
- Add the coconut milk, scraping the bottom for flavor. Season with fish sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add the green beans and cook for about 2 minutes, until tender but still crisp. Add more chilies if you want it extra spicy. Turn off the heat.
Notes
- Green beans: Winged beans (sigarilyas) are usually used, but yardlong beans or asparagus will also work.
- Ground pork: Works with chicken, beef, shrimp, or smoked fish.
- Chilies: Use as much as you like. Siling haba is mild, while siling labuyo is much hotter.
- Shrimp paste: You can use fish sauce or soy sauce instead.
May says
I loved this. Thank you.
Nora Reyes says
So happy to hear! Thank you, May!