I’ve been to the small Pacific island of Guam about a dozen times in my life, but never for long – usually I was disembarking from a US Navy ship and headed to the airport, on my way back home. There were a few moments when I was lucky enough to spend a day or two on the island before catching a flight, relaxing by the beach and reveling in the novelty of not having to wear a uniform 24/7. Regrettably, though, I never got a chance to enjoy a homestyle meal while in Guam. To be fair, the last time I was there was well over 10 years ago, in the dark period before smartphone apps like Yelp–at the time, my food explorations usually just consisted of eating wherever was within walking distance.
I think the fact that I missed out on some of Guam’s homestyle cuisine is what draws me towards one of Guam’s signature comfort foods, and today’s recipe, Beef Tinaktak. In essence, this dish is like a taste of what could have been, had I the opportunity to enjoy a home-cooked meal there. Beef Tinaktak’s pairing of ground beef, tomatoes, green beans, and coconut milk sounds a little strange on paper, but the resulting flavor is anything but; it’s immediately comforting, while wholly unique.
Beef Tinaktak (Gluten-free, Perfect Health Diet, Paleo, Primal, Whole30)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 onion)
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp tamari or coconut aminos
1/4 tsp salt, more to taste
1/4 tsp pepper, more to taste
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1 cup coconut milk (about 1/2 can)
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, fire-roasted preferred
1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 2″ lengths
1. In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ground beef and sauté until browned and slightly crispy, breaking up chunks with a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes. Add the tamari, salt, pepper, ginger, and garlic; stir to combine and allow the tamari to caramelize, about 1 minute.
2. Add the coconut milk, tomatoes, and green beans, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low; simmer until the beans are soft and bright green, about 5 minutes. Uncover, add more salt and pepper to taste, then serve with white rice or cauliflower rice.
** For added heat, serve with chopped jalapeno pepper or add a few squirts of hot sauce.
The Domestic Man 
This looks amazinggg! I love green beans :) Definitely pinning, thanks for sharing!
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Looks so delicious, have to save the recipe! 😊
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It looks tasty and easy to make. Thanks!
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The more I looked at this one, the most interesting [and unique] it sounded. I don’t know where to get tamari or coconut aminos, but I’m printing this out to eventually give it a shot!
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Tamara is a dark soy sauce so it will most likely be next to the regular soy sauce in your grocery store. I would look for coconut aminos in the organic or gluten free area, my store had t next to the organic unfiltered cider vinegar.
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I bought my tamari from my big grocery (Safeway or Vons in California) and I ordered amino from Amazon. But check stores like whole foods, sprouts or stored that offer healthy and organic items..But in a pinch use light or regular soy sauce. Chamorros/Guamanians traditionally uses everyday soy sauce. But definitely experiment. Good Luck !!! :)
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Thank you – I didn’t have a clue where to start. I appreciate you taking the time to help.
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My daughter-in-law told me to go to the health food store for coconut Amino’s. It’s an alternative for soy sauce. She also warned me that it is a bit pricey for a small bottle. I believe you can find tamari in the Asian section or at an Asian market.
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You can get aminos at your local health food store, tamari is another name for soy sauce.
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But soy sauce and tamari are two different substances.
“Gluten and Tamari and Soy Sauce
Tamari is a wider class of soy sauces, and is made with no (or very little) wheat, while traditional soy sauce does contain wheat.
Tamari: Little to no wheat (always double-check if avoiding gluten)
Soy Sauce: Includes wheat (not gluten-free)
Other Differences
Soy sauce and its many forms are found widely throughout Asia, but tamari is specifically a Japanese form of soy sauce, traditionally made as a byproduct of miso paste.
The differences in production give each sauce its own unique flavor. Tamari has a darker color and richer flavor than the common Chinese soy sauce you may be more familiar with. It also tastes more balanced and less salty than the sometimes harsh bite of soy sauce, which makes it great for dipping.
Instead of keeping one or the other in your cupboard, consider stocking up on both sauces and experimenting with them in dishes that call for soy.”
https://www.thekitchn.com/the-difference-between-tamari-and-soy-sauce-ingredient-intelligence-174139
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This recipe looks fab & easy to follow! I’ve never used ground ginger before – could you use fresh ginger?
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Fresh ginger as a different flavor than ground ginger. I would used what the recipe calls for first and then do my own experiments…
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Hafa Adai <— hello in Chamorro (native language of Guam)
It is a very comforting fast dish. I've had tinaktac/tinaktak before (I was told the name derived from the chopping sound of cutting or mincing beef, (tak,tak) These days most ppl use ground beef). As for amino acid or tamari, one can use soy sauce (but it won't be gluten free) I've seen some cooks use drained canned green beans, but FRESH is always best. Use the blue lake variety (standard American kind). Try not to use snake (Asian) long beans. A few tips: Shake canned coconut milk or Ive used shaken canned coconut cream for an extra boost of yummy flavors. Don't over simmer coconut milk or cream or it might seperare. Low and slow is best. I personally add halved fresh cherry tomatoes or halved grape tomatoes as my last item (instead of canned tomatoes) and then re-taste for salt and/or black pepper. In a pinch, I'll add a pinch of cayenne pepper or even a packet of dried red pepper flakes from a pizza parlor. Hope this is enjoyed by all :) Hope to see more recipes from the Pacific Islands :)
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Oh as for ginger powder, I’ve used fresh ginger, but I grate it, to avoid ginger sticks or coin size ginger while eating this dish.
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thank you for sharing this!Looks great!
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I lived on Guam for 3 years when I was small (Anderson AFB). Unfortunately, my dad is not an adventurous eater so I never got to experience this. But boy do I ever miss the Mongolian stir fry from the NCO club! Can’t wait to give this try!
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I´m looking forward to preparing this dish!
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Nice dish. All ingredients that I love. Would it lose something in the translation if I used chopped beef rather than ground beef?
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Hi Mary, the traditional version of this dish used chopped beef, so I say you’ll be just fine!
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Thanks, Russ. That’s what I appreciate about foodie bloggers.
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I liked this, though I’ll probably cut back on the green beans a tad when I make it again. My husband, who expects anything with coconut milk to be spicy wasn’t so thrilled. That means more for me next time, right?
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I really loved this dish, Russ. So easy and great flavor. Spaceba!!
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This dish was delicious! I made it last night, and my three kiddos (ages 6, 5, and 2) wolfed it down with no complaints! What a Mom win!
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I made this tonight, but added some extra veggies I had hanging around in the fridge, diced celery, shredded carrot and cabbage, because I can’t leave anything alone, I hate wasting produce, and more veggies is always better, right? It was freaking delicious! Thank you so much for sharing!
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This dish is amazing. I made it last week as written with green beans and basmati rice. This week I had no green beans on hand and substituted peas with jasmine rice. I think I might actually prefer the pea version. Thank you so much for sharing!
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I love quick meals like this, & I think green beans are finally reasonably priced again in Canada. haha. Making this next week for sure!
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Outstanding recipe! One of my new top go-tos. It’s cheap and easy to make, quick, and my husband even requested I make it a regular weekly staple.
I actually made a mistake though – I bought almond milk instead of coconut and didn’t notice until after. Still turned out delicious!
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I’m from Guam! One of my fave dishes to make.
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Just made this dish for dinner and it was delicious! I just discovered this blog this past week and as a beginner cook I loved that this dish was simple but still packed big flavor. I’m excited to explore your blog even more!
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This was DELICIOUS. Thanks for the recipe. This was the perfect late summer dish with fresh green beans and tomatoes from the garden I roasted beforehand. YUM.
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This is so quick and easy and tastes amazing it’s become our go to for nights we’re tired and need something fast. Right now we have fresh green beans and tomatoes from the garden, but in the winter it’s great with the fire roasted canned tomatoes and frozen green beans (the whole thin French filet ones are our favourites).
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Hi. I usually have a hard time digesting beef, could I sub it with ground turkey or chicken?
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I believe a Guamanian friend of the family yeses ground chicken, so I’d give it a try.
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I found this video. It’s a variation in ingredients but the chef used ground chicken, Enjoy !!
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Here you go: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TC3-K8RY1NQ
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Thank you very much
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Your very welcome. Please comeback and share the outcome. I’m going to make the beef version sometime this week
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Tastes great! Very easy Paleo dish with beef, just what I was looking for. Cheers!
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