Gising-Gising with Green Beans

What is Gising-Gising?

Gising-gising (pronounced gee-sing gee-sing) is a Filipino vegetable dish that originated in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija. The name literally means “wake up, wake up,” inspired by the spicy kick from the chilies.

It’s often made with winged beans (sigarilyas) cut into small pieces, then cooked with aromatics, coconut milk, and shrimp paste. In this version, I'm using green beans, which stay crisp-tender and soak up all that rich, savory flavor.

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 instead. You can also use yardlong beans (sitaw) or even asparagus for variety.
• 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, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 1: Prep the green beans

Rinse well, trim off the ends, then cut into about ½-inch pieces so they stay crisp-tender.

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—leave just enough for flavor.

Step 3: Sauté the aromatics

Add about 1 tablespoon of oil (if needed) and sauté 4 garlic cloves (minced) and 1 small onion (finely chopped) until softened and fragrant. Stir everything together.

Step 4: Add shrimp paste and chilies

Add about 1 tablespoon of shrimp paste and cook for about a minute to bring out its flavor.

Toss in the chilies (to your taste) and sauté for about a minute to release their aroma and mellow their heat.

Step 5: Pour in coconut milk and season

Pour in a 14-oz can of coconut milk and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom for extra flavor. Lower the heat and let it 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 green beans

Stir in 1 pound of green beans and more chilies if you like it extra spicy.

Cook for about 2 minutes, until they turn bright green and are tender but still crisp.

Step 7: Serve

Serve your Gising-Gising with Green Beans with a warm bowl of rice on the side and enjoy!

More coconut dishes to try

• Laing: Taro leaves slowly cooked in coconut milk with aromatics and chilies.
• Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa: Yardlong beans and squash simmered in creamy coconut milk, sometimes with shrimp or pork.
• Bicol Express: Pork in coconut milk with lots of chilies and shrimp paste.
• Ginataang Langka: Young jackfruit in savory coconut sauce.
• Ginataang Ampalaya: Bitter melon with coconut milk, often paired with shrimp or pork.
• Adobong Pusit sa Gata: Squid adobo cooked with coconut milk.
• Ginataang Puso ng Saging: Banana blossoms cooked in coconut milk until tender.
• Ginataang Pusit: Squid simmered in coconut milk with aromatics and spices.
• Ginataang Isda: Fish simmered in coconut milk with aromatics and vegetables.