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    Urban Bliss Life » All Recipes » Asian Recipes » Filipino Recipes » Filipino Beef Mechado recipe

    Published: September 26, 2022 / Updated: September 19, 2022 by Marlynn Jayme Schotland · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Filipino Beef Mechado recipe

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    bowl of Filipino beef mechado with white rice and parsley with title text.
    bowl of Filipino beef mechado with white rice and parsley with title text.
    bowl of Filipino beef mechado with white rice and parsley with title text.

    If you're looking for a rich, hearty, flavorful beef stew, try this Beef Mechado recipe. It's a Filipino stew that's full of beef, potatoes, carrots, and a tangy sauce. Delicious with rice!

    bowl of Filipino beef mechado with white rice and parsley.

    Beef mechado is no ordinary beef stew.

    This Filipino stew takes the basics - beef and hearty vegetables - braised in a rich, tangy, slightly sweet and slightly sour tomato-soy sauce broth. I used to love it when my mom or my Lola would make this for me growing up.

    It's a stick-to-your-ribs kind of ultimate comfort food that is extra delicious and welcome on a chilly fall or winter evening.

    Jump to:
    • 🌟 Why this recipe works
    • 🛒 Ingredient notes
    • ✅ Step-by-step instructions
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs
    • 🍽 Serving ideas
    • 🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
    • 🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
    • 🇵🇭 More Filipino recipes
    • Beef Mechado

    🌟 Why this recipe works

    bowl of Filipino beef mechado with white rice and parsley.

    Beef mechado is a popular Filipino food that is beloved by so many. Here are a few reasons this is a very popular Filipino recipe:

    • The recipe calls for ingredients that are easy to find in most grocery stores around the world. (I've included some substitution ideas below, too!).
    • It's a restaurant quality dish that's easy to make at home.
    • Thick pieces of carrots, potatoes, and beef make this a super satisfying easy dinner recipe.
    • The base of this beef stew is familiar, but a few simple changes in the sauce take it from ordinary to extraordinary.
    • Leftovers freeze well.

    🛒 Ingredient notes

    bowls of all of the ingredients needed to make beef mechado.

    You'll need the ingredients pictured above to make this recipe. You can also substitute some of the more everyday ingredients for similar Filipino ingredients.

    Lemon juice - The recipe calls for lemon juice to add some nice acidity to the stew. However, if you can find calamansi juice near you, I recommend using an equal measurement of calamansi juice instead of lemon juice. Calamansi is a citrus that is native to the Philippines and has a flavor similar to lemon and lime. It would be so delicious in this!

    Soy sauce - I highly recommend that you use a low-sodium soy sauce for this recipe, because it can taste too salty depending on the exact soy sauce and ketchup that you use. You can also use coconut aminos. If you use regular soy sauce, then omit the salt at the beginning and only add salt as needed to taste after the stew is done cooking.

    Broth - Similar to the soy sauce mentioned above, I recommend you use a low-sodium beef broth or homemade beef broth that has not been salted.

    ✅ Step-by-step instructions

    seasoned beef chunks with salt and pepper in a large white platter.
    cooking onions and garlic in a dutch oven.
    1. Season the meat on all sides. Set aside.
    2. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté for 1 minute, just until the garlic and onions are softened and fragrant.
    added beef chunks to cooked onions and garlic in a dutch oven.
    beef browned on all sides with potatoes and garlic in a dutch oven.

    3. Add the meat to the Dutch oven and sear on all sides. Cook until the meat has browned on all sides but is not fully cooked.

    added liquids of broth, soy sauce, calamansi juice to the beef mechado in a dutch oven.
    adding red bell peppers and two bay leaves to beef mechado in a dutch oven.

    4. Pour in the tomato sauce, broth, soy sauce, and lemon juice.

    5. Add the bay leaves and chopped red bell pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

    ladle full of beef mechado with dutch oven of beef mechado below.
    wooden spoon removing two bay leaves from cooked beef mechado.
    cornstarch slurry in a bowl above beef mechado in a dutch oven.

    6. Lower the heat to low, cover the pot, then simmer on low for one hour. After one hour, remove the lid and add the potatoes and carrots. Cook on low for another 30 to 45 minutes, just until the carrots and potatoes are soft and tender.

    7. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

    8. If the sauce is too thin for your taste: make a cornstarch slurry by combining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1-2 Tablespoons of water or milk. Stir into the mechado until combined, and cook for 2-5 minutes longer, just until the sauce has thickened up to your preference.

    👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

    bowl of Filipino beef mechado with white rice and parsley.
    How do I know when the beef is done cooking?

    Beef is cooked completely when it has an internal temperature of 160°F.

    How is Mechado different from Afritada or Menudo?

    What's the best way to store leftovers?

    Allow the mechado to cool completely, then store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

    🍽 Serving ideas

    bowl of beef mechado next to a dutch oven of stew with striped napkin and utensils.

    This Filipino beef stew is delicious served over Instant Pot Garlic Rice or Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

    Great side dishes for beef include Pandesal (Filipino dinner rolls), Air Fryer Broccoli, or Grilled Asparagus in Foil. Or make any of these great Asian Side Dish Recipes.

    Add a Filipino dessert like Taisan cake or Turon (Filipino Banana Lumpia) along with Air Fryer Pineapple.

    Craving more Filipino food? You'll find lots of easy Filipino recipes on the blog!

    🍷 🥂 Wine pairings

    bowl of beef mechado with a glass of red wine.

    Similar to pairing wine with Filipino Caldereta, you'll want to reach for a red wine that has bigger tannins that can stand up to the rich, bold flavors of this mechado stew.

    I like pairing Filipino beef mechado with a Syrah, Tempranillo, or an Argentinian Malbec.

    🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment

    Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:

    • Dutch Oven - I use my favorite 4-quart Dutch oven that you see in these photos if I'm just making enough for my family of four. But I use this larger Dutch oven if I am increasing the recipe to feed more people.

    🇵🇭 More Filipino recipes

    You'll find many more Filipino recipes here on Urban Bliss Life! Here are a few to get you started:

    • Jolibee spaghetti in a bowl with parsley, shredded cheese, and side of salt and pepper.
      Jollibee Spaghetti (Filipino-style Spaghetti)
    • Jayme-Schotland Family with Chef Andrew Zimmern for Family Dinner TV Show.
      Family Dinner TV Show Features the Jayme-Schotland Family
    • crab pancit filipino noodles in a large bowl, with slices veggies and chunks of crab meat.
      Crab Pancit
    • longanisa sausage, sliced tomatoes, fried eggs, and garlic rice known as Filipino Longsilog.
      Longsilog Recipe

    Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!

    bowl of Filipino beef mechado with white rice and parsley.

    Beef Mechado

    5 from 1 vote
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 1 hr 45 mins
    Total Time: 1 hr 55 mins
    Recipe by Marlynn Schotland
    This Filipino beef stew is rich, hearty, and satisfying, and delicious served with rice.
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 406kcal
    PRINT PIN RATE

    Equipment

    • 1 Dutch Oven

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into cubes
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced
    • 1 can (8 ounce can) tomato sauce
    • 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
    • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
    • juice from 1 lemon
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 russet potato, peeled and cubed
    • 2 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1-inch rounds
    • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
    • Optional: cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry (see Notes below)

    Instructions

    • Season the meat on all sides. Set aside.
    • In a large Dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté for 1 minute, just until the garlic and onions are softened and fragrant.
    • Add the meat to the Dutch oven and sear on all sides.
    • Pour in the tomato sauce, broth, soy sauce, lemon juice, and add the bay leaves and chopped red bell pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
    • Lower the heat to low, cover the pot, then simmer on low for one hour.
    • After one hour, remove the lid and add the potatoes and carrots. Cook on low for another 30 to 45 minutes, just until the carrots and potatoes are soft and tender. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

    Notes

    Beef: Beef is cooked completely when it has an internal temperature of 160°F.
    To thicken the sauce: If you find that there is more liquid than to your liking, or if the liquid is too thin for your taste, you can thicken it up by mixing about 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch and 1-2 Tablespoons of water or milk in a bowl, then stirring it into the stew. Allow to come to a low boil and continue cooking and stirring until the liquid reaches your preferred level of thickness.
    Storage: Allow the stew to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days. 
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment! Then snap a pic of your dish and share it on social media. Tag @UrbanBlissLife and #UrbanBlissLife!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 2100mg | Potassium: 1190mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4532IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 5mg

    Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.

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      Marlynn Jayme Schotland 2021 profile pic

      Hi! Thanks for stopping by! I'm Marlynn - a cookbook author, writer, photographer, and mom of two teenagers + a lovable lab retriever. Here you'll find my fast, easy, and delicious recipes, wine pairings, and travel guides. I hold a WSET 2 with Distinction in wine, and am a member of Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).

      More about me →

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