With meat cooked until so tender it falls off the bone, it’s no secret that beef caldereta is a Filipino favorite. A mix of ingredients come together in this tomato-based stew practically bursting with flavor. The beef caldereta recipe is one you’ll find in practically any Filipino cookbook—and most Filipino homes don’t even need one! This dish is one type of food you can enjoy whether in an intimate setting or with a larger crowd. No matter where or who you enjoy this dish with, I guarantee you won’t be able to get enough of this beef caldereta recipe!
Savory, hearty, and undeniably flavorful, beef caldereta — or kaldereta — is a main course native to the Philippines. Mostly popular in the Southern Tagalog region, the original rendition of this dish is actually made with goat meat. Caldereta derives its name from the Spanish word for cauldron, caldera. This must be because of how your beef is left to cook on low heat in a pot, simmering until it becomes fully tender. Its easy and affordable combination of ingredients endears it even further to the Filipino crowd, as they’re easy to source! With the beef caldereta recipe so easy to prepare, it’s truly no wonder Filipinos love it so much!
While this beef caldereta recipe makes use of beef short ribs over goat, the tasty flavors of this meat stew are here to stay. Beef short ribs are an easier protein to source at your local supermarkets, and one can never get enough of their tender quality. Once you try this rendition, I can guarantee it will definitely become a family favorite!
Related Recipes
This beef caldereta recipe is an example of Filipino cuisine’s affinity for tomato-based stews. Unsurprisingly, this often leads to questions of how to distinguish one stew from the other. Afritada, menudo, and caldereta are often victims of mistaken identity. But how exactly does this beef caldereta recipe stand out from the rest? Let’s find out!
- Pork Menudo is another Filipino classic comfort food. In this dish, mouthfuls of potatoes, carrots, and ground pork come together in a sumptuously satisfying dish. This comfort food is as easy to throw together as this beef caldereta recipe, with many similar ingredients, too! But one of the biggest differences would be, of course, the protein you use. In pork menudo, ground pork is the most common star of the show, while our caldereta makes use of beef short ribs. Further, the ingredients of this pork menudo aren’t as extensive as what this beef caldereta recipe calls for.
- One other tomato-based dish that often draws comparison to this beef caldereta recipe is chicken afritada. Like other tomato stews, chicken afritada is lively and vibrant, with the appropriate colors to match! Here, it is chicken that takes the spotlight, its tender meat absorbing all the tasty sauces your dish has to offer. However, ingredients like liver spread and olives don’t make an appearance in this dish — the way they do in a beef caldereta recipe.
No matter which tomato-based stew you enjoy, there’s no need to pit one against the other! All these dishes are delicious and satisfying in their own right, and there’s no reason for you not to enjoy every single one of them. Which tomato-based stew is your number one?
Learn how to cook this beef caldereta recipe with me!
This recipe is really quite easy to follow, and a total main stay in almost any Filipino kitchen. Learning how to make this beef caldereta recipe is definitely a must for beginner cooks, and for those craving a bite of home.
There are many different ingredients in this beef caldereta recipe that need preparing. For starters, you’ll need to cube your potatoes and carrots, and slice bell peppers as well. Chop two large onions and a head of garlic, too, before starting on this beef caldereta recipe!
Once you’ve prepared all your ingredients, you can start! Heat a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil in a pot before frying your carrot cubes for two minutes. Cook each side equally before setting them aside, and doing the same to your potatoes. For your potatoes, the key is for the outer part to turn a light brown before removing them from the pot and setting them side.
With the remaining oil, the next step in this beef caldereta recipe is to sauté your garlic, onion, and thyme. Continue sautéing these ingredients until you’ve caramelized your onions, then add in your beef short ribs. Cook until the color of the outer part turns light brown.
Next in this beef caldereta recipe is to add your tomato sauce. Pour 14 ounces of this in, then add a cup of red wine. A piece of Knorr Beef Cube comes in, too, for that additional burst of flavor. After adding in 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and a cup of water, cover your pot and cook your stew on low heat. For now, let your stew simmer until you’ve made sure your beef is as tender as can be.
Check on the tenderness of your beef every once in a while, then add liver spread and bell pepper. Cook this for 3 minutes, add in your carrot and potato, then cook for 3 minutes more. Lastly, throw in some cheddar cheese, and season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.
When you’re happy with how well you’ve incorporated all your ingredients, your beef caldereta is finally ready! Turn the heat off and transfer your dish to a serving plate, which you can share and enjoy with the rest of your family. Hearty, filling, and satisfying, this dish will burst with flavor with every bite!
Let us know what you think of this easy yet beef caldereta recipe!
Beef Caldereta Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lbs beef short ribs
- 1 Knorr Beef Cube
- 14 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 large potato cubed
- 1 large carrot cubed
- 1 cup manzanilla olives
- 2 bell pepper sliced
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 large onion chopped
- 1 head garlic chopped
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ cup liver spread
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot. Fry the carrots for 2 minutes. Make sure that all sides are cooked equally. Remove from the pot. Set aside.
- Fry the potato until the color of the outer part turns light brown. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Using the remaining oil, sauté garlic, onion, and thyme. Continue sautéing until the onion caramelizes.
- Add beef short ribs. Cook until the color of the outer part turns light brown.
- Pour tomato sauce and red wine. Add Knorr Beef Cube.
- Add soy sauce and water. Cover the pot. Continue cooking the stew in low heat setting until the beef tenderizes completely.
- Add liver spread and bell pepper. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add carrot and potato. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add cheddar cheese and then season with salt and ground black pepper.
- Transfer to a serving plate. Serve. Share and enjoy!
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