Mechado: Filipino stew

CEBU, Philippines — Mechado is a type of stew that is quite a favorite among Filipinos. It can either be made of beef or pork. The dish consists mainly of pork or beef slices, potato, frozen green peas, and bell peppers. It is simple to make and can easily be prepared by anyone.

If pork is used, the shoulder part is preferable. The part is good because it contains fat, which keeps the meat moist. Another part to go for is the pork butt. But for those who are trying to avoid fatty foods, leaner cuts of pork such as pork tenderloin may be used.

Vanjo Merano, at www.panlasangpinoy.com, shares that the first thing to do when making pork mechado is to marinate the pork in soy sauce and lime juice for at least 10 minutes. Calamansi may be used as a substitute for lime, Merano adds. It gives flavor to the pork and enhances the overall taste of the dish.

It is the traditional Filipino way of cooking stews and similar dishes to sauté garlic and onions before adding in the meat. The key, Merano emphasizes, is to cook the garlic until it gets light to medium brown (but not burnt) and to cook the onion until the texture becomes soft. This extracts the flavor from these ingredients. It also produces an appetizing aroma.

The following is Merano’s pork mechado recipe:

Pork Mechado

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb. pork shoulder, sliced into cubes

1 large potato, cubed

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced

1 medium green bell pepper, sliced

1 cup frozen green peas

1 Knorr Pork Cube

1 lime (or calamansi)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 can (6 oz.) tomato sauce

1 ½ cups water

5 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

1 medium onion, diced

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons cooking oil

Procedure:

1. Combine pork, soy sauce, and juice of one lime (or equivalent amount of calamansi juice) in a bowl. Mix well and let it stay for 10 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a cooking pot. Saute the garlic and onion until the onion gets soft.

3. Add the marinated pork (including the remaining marinade). Cook until the pork turns light brown.

4. Pour tomato sauce and water. Allow to boil.

5. Add the Knorr Pork Cube. Stir. Cover and cook in low heat for 35 to 40 minutes.

6. Add the potato and green peas. Cook for 10 minutes.

7. Stir-in the bell peppers. Continue to cook for five minutes.

8. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Transfer to a serving plate. Enjoy!