Your pantry may contain bottles of sauces that are full of flavor that can turn a simple ingredient like ground meats into delicious, and I mean seriously delicious dishes. The technique is indeed using a bit of inventiveness and continuously tasting the food during cooking.

Inspiration

My inspiration for this dish is simple. Filipino cooking traditionally uses ground meat in many ways, which we call giniling. The basics of this dish is that combines a mirepoix of aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots, and celery seasoned with salt and pepper stir-fried quickly and eaten with rice. Sometimes, raisins added for sweetness. 

Why ground meat? Ground meat whether it is beef, pork, or chicken are cheap cuts which makes them much more affordable. So your money goes a long way to feed a family. There is usually a right amount of fat which gives it flavor. Today, you can control the amount of fat by looking at the label. 80/20 ground beef means that it is 80% meat to 20% fat. 

Alternatives to ground meat

If you do not want to use ground meat, a firm or extra firm tofu is an excellent substitute for this recipe. Just make sure to season it well to help it out. 

What I learned from this dish is that it utilized ingredients that were readily available to make something delicious. 

Today, we have stocks of sauces, bottles of vinegar stocked in our panties. Sometimes, we even forget what we have in there. We can apply the same attitude of inventiveness and imagination to make a great dish.

So here is my take on a classic dish. Giniling.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground pork

2 red potatos (waxy)

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

3 teaspoons hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons chili flakes

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

a light dash of Maggie savor seasoning sauce

garlic powder

Let's get started

There is two parts to this dish. 

Firstly, we are going to stir fry the grount meat. Secondly, we are doing to deep fry the potatos. At the end, we will combine both for nice texture. 

Ground Meat

Make sure the ground potk has thawed. Get a wide pan on very high heat. Place the meat in the pan and hear it sizzle. Stir the meat to evenly get as much touching the pan. 

Some water will seep out. At this stage, your goal is to cook through this. Let the water evaporate. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Add the chopped garlic, and chili flakes. 

This next step is crucial in order to maximize flavor and texture. 

Now, add cider vinegar. Reduce. Do not add the next ingredient until reduction is complete. 

Next, add soy sauce. Reduce.

Then, add Maggie savor.

Lasty, add Worcestershire sauce. Reduce.

By reducing, you are intensifying flavor. 

The last step is to mix in the hoisin sauce.

Potato

Cut potato into small cubes and season with salt. Place on top of a paper towel and pat dry. 

Heat a cast iron skillet with corn oil and shallow fry. Once golden brown, place on paper towel to drain the oil.

Plate

You can mix the potatos with the ground beef, or sprinkle the potato over the ground beef. Use chives as a garnish. 

Enjoy this dish with jasmine rice.