Mechado
Mechado is a stew served as a viand in the Philippines. Traditionally, it is cooked with beef briskets, potatoes, pimiento (red bell peppers), and tomatoes. It is similar to a beef stew, with elements of Filipino ingredients such as patis.
It is a beef stew dish that the Filipinos have inherited from the Spaniards. However, over the centuries Filipinos have put their own local twist and flavor into the dish making it their own.
The dish originated from a Spanish recipe whose name originally referred to the strips of pork back-fat that are threaded (mecha – wick) through thick pieces of cheaper lean beef to render them more tender and less dry. The larded pieces of beef are then marinated in vinegar, soya sauce, calamansi juice, crushed garlic, black pepper and bay leaf, browned quickly on all sides in hot oil or lard and then slowly braised in its marinade with the addition of soup stock, onion slices, and tomatoes until tender and the liquid is reduced to a thick flavorful gravy.
You can find authentic Filipino Mechado on many Filipino Restaurants in Los Angeles.
