It is traditionally made with chopped winged beans (sigarillas or sigarilyas), and coconut milk spiced with labuyo chili, garlic, onions, and bagoong alamang (shrimp paste).

[1][2] The basic ingredient of gising-gising is winged beans chopped finely or into diagonal 1 to 2 in (2.5 to 5.1 cm) strips.

They are cooked in coconut milk with garlic, ginger, onions, bagoong alamang (shrimp paste), and siling haba and labuyo peppers.

The dish can also be cooked with other seafood like squid and can include other vegetables and spices.

The shrimp paste can also be replaced with commercial bouillon cubes or meat or seafood stock.