Sigarilyas or sitaw? Gising-gising, the Filipino dish of pork and veg cooked in spicy coconut milk, has room for two vegetables. We say use both. A quick simmer lets both beans soak up the sauce while retaining a bit of crunch. Using sliced pork belly instead of ground meat adds heft and a contrast of texture.
What is sigarilyas? What is sitaw?
Sigarilyas goes by many names, like winged beans or asparagus beans (because of its asparagus-like flavor) in English. In Southeast Asia, they’re called dragon beans or four-angled beans because of their frilled, wing-like edges.
Sitaw, or long beans in English, is a slender, whip-like bean variety different from Baguio beans or green beans, which are shorter and more tender.
Both vegetables have a slight crunch that make them great in stir-fries and saucy, simmered dishes (like gising-gising!).
Slice sigarilyas and sitaw into the same size
Slicing vegetables to the same length helps them cook evenly. Irregular cuts may cause some of your veg to overcook while undercooking others.
For this recipe, we sliced our sigarilyas and sitaw into the same small, bite-sized pieces at least ¼-inch thick.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- ½ cup minced white onions
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 250g pork liempo (belly), sliced into thin pieces
- 2 tbsp bagoong
- 1 cup sliced sigarilyas (winged beans), in small pieces
- 1 cup sliced sitaw (long beans), in small pieces
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2–3 red chilies, minced (optional)
Cook aromatics: Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a pan over medium heat. Add minced onions and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until aromatics are soft, onions are translucent, and garlic is slightly browned, about 3 minutes.
Cook pork: Add liempo to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add bagoong. Cook down bagoong while coating the liempo, 2 minutes.
Cook vegetables: Add sliced sigarilyas and sitaw to the pan. Stir and toss until 80% cooked but still raw and crunchy, about 4–5 minutes. Add coconut milk and chilies (if using). Increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low to bring to a simmer. Simmer vegetables until tender but not mushy, about 6–10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (or more chilies).
Serve: Transfer gising-gising to a serving platter. Serve hot as a side, or as ulam with steamed rice.
