Growing up, Hendog always felt excited when tortang giniling, or Filipino ground meat omelette, showed up at the table. A torta (omelette) can be filled with all sorts of ingredients like crab or talong (eggplant), cooked puffy and crispy or thick and loaded. A lot of home cooks love giniling (ground meat) for its ease and simplicity.
“I made tortang giniling because it was always a constant in my childhood,” he shares, “not just on special occasions but also in my everyday child life.” Every time tortang giniling was prepared, he made sure his plate was filled to the brim with rice, torta, and ketchup. This simple, homey dish never got old.
In fact, Hendog likens each slice to eating a treasured birthday cake: “Except every slice was for me!” Hendog's torta is thick, juicy, and a little crisp, made special with a ton of meat—a mix of ground pork and beef—and potatoes inside.
When boiling potatoes, it's best to start them with cold or room-temperature water.
Potatoes are dense, so dropping them straight in boiling water can lead to uneven cooking—the exterior may turn mushy before the centers are cooked through. Starting your boil with cool water slowly brings the potatoes up to temperature, ensuring a gentle, even cook.
This tortang giniling is filled with meat and potatoes, making it an easy and comforting lutong bahay staple.
Don’t forget that the water should be salted well. You may have heard that it's best to have the water be as salty as your memory of the sea. Like pasta, adding salt to the water seasons the potatoes. Once they’re cooked, make sure to taste the potatoes so you know how much more to season as you cook.
Some people like their tortang giniling big, thin, and a little crispy. We like ours thick and cake-like. Using a smaller pan will make that happen. A larger pan will make wider omelettes, but it will spread out into a thinner, flatter torta. A smaller pan restricts the spread, and will give you a thick, jam-packed torta that’s hefty enough to feed a crowd.
Cook meat: Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until aromatics have browned and softened, about 4 minutes. Add ground pork and beef. Break up meat using a wooden spoon or a sturdy spatula. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until meat is no longer pink and has browned slightly, around 6-8 minutes. Transfer meat to a medium mixing bowl. Set aside to cool.
Boil potatoes: Add diced potatoes to a large pot set over the stove. Add enough water to cover the potatoes. Season water with salt and turn heat up to high. Let water boil and cook potatoes until softened, about 7-8 minutes.
To check for doneness, poke a toothpick into a piece of potato. The potato should be soft enough for the toothpick to pierce through, yet firm enough to maintain its shape. You don’t want the potatoes to be totally soft, or they’ll get crushed in the torta.
Drain potatoes using a slotted spoon, wire sieve, or colander. Transfer them to the meat mixture and set aside to cool.
Make torta mixture: Crack eggs into a mixing bowl. Using a fork or a whisk, beat eggs thoroughly until no streaks of white remain. Add cooked meat and potatoes into the beaten eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold the ingredients together, making sure potatoes stay solid and intact.
Cook torta: Heat remaining 4 tbsp of oil in a nonstick skillet over low heat. Swirl the pan to evenly coat the bottom and sides of the skillet. Pour in the torta mixture. Cook torta without stirring to let it solidify, about 5 minutes.
Using a rubber spatula, gently check the bottom of the torta to see if it has browned well. Cover pan with a large plate or baking sheet. Carefully flip torta onto the plate or sheet, then slide the inverted torta back into the pan. Cook the other side until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 3 minutes.
Serve: Transfer tortang giniling to a plate and cut into slices like a birthday cake. Serve with freshly steamed rice and banana ketchup.
