Beef Mechado

        It's 5 minutes before 10 pm and I'm smiling from ear to ear. God answered my prayer. It's also started raining, so now I can post a recipe, finally. The kids have gone home, and the computers are available for me to use.

        I made Beef Mechado today. A very special occasion dish and mainly prepared in the Luzon areas, but seldom in the Visayas and Mindanao.  I took extra time to make this dish. I've always loved the way it tasted, but the fact that the recipe enlists no extenders, only meat, and a long preparation time had always been a drawback. But just the same, I ventured to make Beef Mechado once and for all. And the sacrifice paid off.

Beef Mechado

        I served the dish for lunch and was surprised it did not make it to dinner. I think that's proof enough that the family liked it.

        I must warn you though, that this is a fussy dish in terms of cooking time. But if you have a slow cooker or crockpot, it would make life so much easier.

INGREDIENTS:

500 g beef, cubed
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 T. kalamansi juice (lemon)
1 onion, sliced
1 T. garlic, minced
1 8 g. sachet Maggi Magic Sarap
1 cup tomato sauce

PROCEDURE:

1. Marinate beef cubes in soy sauce, Maggi Magic Sarap and kalamansi juice for at least 30 minutes.

Marinade and beef

2. Saute the garlic and onions in a little oil until limp. Add the beef and marinade and bring to a boil. Simmer for one and a half hours or until tender, adding more water as needed.

3. When tender, add tomato sauce and simmer for another 15 minutes. Turn off fire and serve hot.

saucy, meaty Beef Mechado

NOTE: This recipe requires no salt and pepper and may taste a little on the sour side while cooking. This is the natural flavor of Mechado, You may choose to add a little sugar to get the edge of the sour taste, if you wish.

The dish has a very strong flavor and can stand alone with rice as accompaniment. But a mild tasting soup might be a great foil to this strong tasting dish.

I looked up Google pictures of Beef Mechado and was surprised to see that their recipes included potatoes, bell peppers, and carrots, among others. But the Mechado I've known had none of these, otherwise, it would look no different than Beef Caldereta. Though, adding potatoes as extenders wouldn't hurt, here's one I liked.

Yummy spoonful, huh?

Great weekend everyone!