Ginisang Gulay Recipe: Authentic Filipino Stir-Fried Vegetables (Easy & Healthy)

Ginisang Gulay is a classic Filipino vegetable stir-fry that brings together fresh garden vegetables sautéed in garlic, onion, juicy tomatoes, and flavorful shrimp paste. It’s simple to make, nutritious, and delicious — perfect as a main dish with rice or as a tasty side dish on its own. This recipe combines vibrant colors, rich umami, and wholesome ingredients to elevate everyday cooking.

Whether you’re a home cook new to Filipino cuisine or looking for a wholesome stir-fry idea for weeknight meals, this Ginisang Gulay recipe delivers big on flavor without fuss. Below, you’ll find a complete step-by-step guide, ingredient breakdown, tips for substitution, variations, and serving suggestions to make your Ginisang Gulay unforgettable.

Serving Suggestions

✔ Pair Ginisang Gulay with steamed jasmine or garlic rice
✔ Serve alongside fried fish, grilled meats, or tofu
✔ Add fried eggs on top for extra protein
✔ Enjoy as a side dish in a Filipino family dinner spread

How do I store leftovers?

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a little water to loosen the sauce

Recipe Video :

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy to follow for home cooks of all levels
• Uses common kitchen ingredients
• Flexible: fits vegetarian and protein-rich versions
• Delicious with rice or as a light entree

Ginisang Gulay is more than just a dish—it’s a celebration of Filipino home cooking and healthy ingredients on your table. Whether you’re new to Filipino cuisine or looking to add a veggie-packed favorite, this recipe delivers flavor and satisfaction every time.

Ginisang Gulay Filipino Style Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo Squash (sliced into chunks)
• 1-3 pieces of eggplant (sliced into wedges)
• a bunch of string beans (sliced into short sticks)
• A bunch of okra (sliced)
• 1 -2 pieces ampalaya (sliced into small pieces)
• ¼ kilo pork belly (cut into smaller pieces)
• 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of shrimp paste
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat up a pan and add the pork belly slices (no oil). Sear the meat until oil has been rendered. Next, add the minced garlic, onions, tomatoes and saute for a few minutes until light brown and aromatic.

2. Add the shrimp paste and saute for a few more minutes. Add the string beans and squash. Toss them gently until well mixed. Add some water to help them cook.

3. Cover the pan and let the veggies simmer until tender. Once tender, add the eggplant. Season with some salt and pepper and then stir a bit. Cover the pan again to simmer for a few minutes.

4. Lastly, add the okra and the ampalaya. Toss them gently until well mixed. Continue cooking and tossing until all veggies are fully cooked.

5. Transfer the ginisang gulay to a serving plate. Serve this as a side dish or have it with some fried fish and hot steaming rice. Yum!

It’s harvesting season! If you’re an avid reader of my blogs, you’ll know how proud I am for raising these babies (veggies)! I was not good with planting in the past but now I can grow my own veggies and I can’t wait to eat them! I was able to harvest some papaya, ampalaya, squash, pechay, eggplant, sitaw and okra. Let me share with you the fruit, I mean veggies, of my labor.

Since I have a widely varied vegetables on hand, I can’t wait to think about the different dishes I can use them to. Since I can’t really wait to eat them, I sticked to the classic sauteed veggies. Ginisang gulay is much simpler than other veggie recipes. What I love about it is that you can really feel and taste the veggie since it is mildly “cooked”. No special sauces, just the veggies and me. Let’s feel all the bitterness from the ampalaya, the saliva from the okra and the fiber from the sitaw. This is when we say, “the simpler, the better’!

If you wanna know how to make some ginisang gulay at home, read and follow the simple steps below. Happy cooking!

What Is Ginisang Gulay? (Filipino Vegetable Stir-Fry)

Ginisang Gulay literally means “sautéed vegetables” in Filipino (Tagalog). It’s one of the most beloved dishes in Filipino households — celebrated for its simplicity, balance of flavors, and adaptability. Unlike other vegetable dishes, Ginisang Gulay focuses on highlighting the natural flavors of fresh vegetables over heavy sauces.

In this recipe, hearty vegetables like squash, eggplant, string beans, okra, and ampalaya (bitter melon) are gently cooked until tender, while aromatics like garlic, onion, and tomatoes build deep flavor. Some versions include pork belly for richness, but you can easily make a vegetarian version too

Recipe Variations & Tips

Creamier Version with Gata

For a richer, coconut-infused Ginisang Gulay, add coconut milk (gata) after sautéing your veggies — a variation that’s creamy and comforting

Vegetarian Version

Omit pork belly and shrimp paste. Use vegetarian seasoning like soy sauce or miso for umami. Sauté with a splash of olive oil instead

Seafood Twist

Add shrimp or small prawns for an umami punch — cook them first until they turn pink then proceed with the main steps.

Quick Midweek Version

Use whatever vegetables you have on hand — carrots, cabbage, patola (sponge gourd), or pechay. The key is gentle sautéing to retain texture.

Filipino Vegetable Stir Fry ingredients :

• Squash – brightens up the dish with it’s vibrant yellow-orang color, mild nutty flavor, and it’s many health benefits.
• Eggplant – helps add in more color, earthy taste, and silky texture.
• String beans – adds a nice tender crunch and natural sutble sweet flavor.
• Okra – adds texture and color into the dish. It has a slight sweet and grassy taste.
• Ampalaya – also known as ‘bitter melon’, like it’s name, it does taste bitter, but the taste is overshadowed by how many health benefits it has. This vegetable has numerous benefits such as immunity boosting, regulating blood sugar, and many more advantages.
• Pork belly – while this is optional, it just give the dish a nice ‘meaty’ flavor and protein into the dish. It also helps keep the dish from using too much oil since we’ll be rendering the pork belly’s fats which alaso adds more flavor.
• Garlic and Onion – the usual Filipino aromatics.
• Tomatoes – adds color and mild acidity with subtle sweetness into the dish.
• Shrimp paste – a fermented ingredient with a slight pungent smell. This adds a deep savory, salty, and umami taste.
• Salt and Pepper – to taste

Health Benefits of Ginisang Gulay

1. Rich in Nutrients: Fresh vegetables like squash, okra, and eggplant are rich in fiber, vitamins A and C, and antioxidants — great for digestion and immunity.
2. Lower Calorie & High Fiber: A veggie-forward stir-fry is naturally lower in calories and helps keep you full longer.
3. Customizable for Diets: You can easily make this vegetarian, vegan, or add lean protein (shrimp or tofu) depending on your nutritional goals.

Try our other Yummy Ginisang Gulay Ideas :

Whatever vegetable you would like to include in this dish, analyze them first before adding them to the pan. In this recipe, I used a variety of vegetables. I added the sitaw and kalabasa first into the pan since they are tough ones, meaning they require extra time to cook. The eggplant, okra and ampalaya are relatively softer and cooks fast. So by the time the ampalaya and okra are fully cooked, the kalabasa and sitaw are cooked enough too. This is also a good way of introducing different type of veggies to your kids!

Ginisang gulay pairs best with fried fish and some hot steaming rice. You can eat this as a snack or appetizer too. Yum!

Paano Magluto ng Ginisang Gulay

Mga Sangkap:

• 1/2 kilo kalabasa (hiniwa ng malalaki)
• 1-3 piraso ng talong (hiniwa ng wedges)
• 1 bugkos ng sitaw (hiniwa ng sticks)
• 1 bugkos ng okra (hiniwa)
• 1 -2 piraso ng ampalaya (hiniwa ng maninipis)
• ¼ kilo ng liempo (hiniwa ng maliliit)
• 5 butil ng bawang (hiniwa ng maliliit)
• 1 sibuyas (hiniwa)
• 3 kamatis (hiniwa)
• 2 – 3 kutsara ng ginisang bagoong alamang
• asin at paminta pampalasa

Paano Lutuin:

1. Painitin ang kawali at ilagay ang hiniwang liempo (walang mantika). Lutuin ito hanggang mag mantika.
2. Sunod na ilagay ang bawang, sibuyas, at kamatis. Igisa ang mga ito ng ilang minuto hanggang maging light brown. Ilagay ang bagoong alamang at igisa ng ilang minuto.
3. Ilagay ang sitaw at kalabasa. Haluin ito ng dahan dahan. Maglagay ng konting tubig para maluto. Takpan ang kawali at hayaan ang mga itong lumambot.
4. Kapag malambot na, ilagay ang mga talong. Budburan ito ng asin at paminta at haluin ng konti. Takpan ang kawali ng ilang minuto.
5. Huling ilagay ang okra at ampalaya. Haluin ang mga ito para malagyan ng sauce. Lutuin pa ito ng ilang minuto hanggang lumambot ang lahat ng gulay.
6. Ilipat ang ginisang gulay sa serving plate. Ihain ito bilang side dish o samahan ng pritong isda at mainit na kanin. Yum!

Ginisang gulay is literally sauteing various vegetables at once. But for starters, this might be a trick dish so get ready to cook the recipe with us. Let Yummy Kitchen guide you!