Ground Meat Omelet

CEBU, Philippines — It’s a type of omelet that is quite a popular favorite among Filipinos. It is one that is made of ground meat, among other ingredients. The ground meat is sautéed with vegetables and spices commonly bell pepper, garlic, onions, and tomatoes, and then mixed with beaten eggs.

It’s unlike traditional omelets where eggs are folded around meats, cheeses, and vegetables.  Ground Meat Omelet requires pre-cooked ground meat to be mixed in the beaten egg mixture before frying. It is best served with garlic fried rice and banana ketchup as dip. If using meats from leftover dishes – chopped or ground – the process is shortened since there’s no more need to cook the ground meat beforehand.  

The dish is easy to prepare, costs pretty low, and is really delicious. It is very good for packed lunches, either to take to school or work, since it is ‘dry’ dish and does not spoil easily. Okay, calling it Ground Meat Omelet sounds rather too sophisticated – it is known locally simply as “Torta Ginaling,” or “Tortang Giniling” in Tagalog.

The website www.panlasangpinoy.com cites that the only challenge that might be faced with “Tortang Giniling” is flipping the omelet. Since it covers the entire pan, it is quite challenging to flip everything over and ensuring that the omelet lands in one piece, the website points out. Having on standby a similar sized pan or plate then transferring the omelet there (cooked part facing down) is a solution the website suggests. A spatula will be extra helpful to assist in bringing the uncooked part of the egg back in the hot pan. Or the cook may divide the ingredients into serving sizes and cook each one after the other; that way, flipping the omelet should come with ease.

Here’s a Ground Meat Omelet from

www.pinoycookingrecipes.com to try at home:

Tortang Giniling

Ingredients:

½ lb ground pork or beef

1 medium tomato, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium potato, cubed

2 eggs, beaten

½ to 1 tbsp fish sauce

cooking oil

Procedure:

1. Saute the garlic, tomatoes and onion in cooking oil.

2. Add the ground meat. Cook until the meat turns light brown.

3. Add the fish sauce (patis) and potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat. Let it cool for few minutes.

4. Heat cooking oil in another pan.

5. Combine cooked meat and beaten egg.

6. Spoon 2 tbsp of mixture and fry on medium heat.

7. Flip the omelett after 2 minutes. Cook the other side for another 2 minutes.

Serve with ketchup.