Caldereta or Kalderetta

Caldereta or Kalderetta

You don’t need to be Filipino to make great caldereta.

Filipino Goat Stew or Braised Beef in Liver Sauce or neither.

This is a fantastic stew. The meat can be any meat you choose. In this video we use a beef bottom round.

This is one of those stews, that after you’ve had it, you crave it. It is pretty easy to make but it does take some time to get the meat tender.

While I have recipes from two different books (see below), my favorite is on the package of the “Mama Sita’s” Caldereta Spicy Sauce mix

Use a medium to large stock pot with a good cover

Ingredients:

2 ½ lbs beef cubed – I used a bottom round, but you can use any cut
1 large russet potato – large dice
1 large carrot – cut into bite sized portions
1 large red bell pepper – cut into triangles or diamonds
½ cup green peas
¼ cup (I used more) green olives with pimento
1 medium onion – Large dice
2 packages of Mama Sita’s caldereta spicy sauce mix (yeah I cheat – but it is soo good)
4 cups of water
1 table spoon of cooking oil

Brown the beef cubes in the cooking oil. When the cubes are browned on all sides, remove the beef from the pan and add the onion.

Sauté the onion until soft and starting to gain color.

Add the beef back to the pan and add 3 of the four cups of water

Cover the pot and simmer on the back burner for about 1 ½ – 2 hours, until the beef is tender.

When the beef is fork tender, add the two packages of caldereta mix and stir it well. Add the potatoes and carrots. Simmer covered.

Simmer for about 20 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, add the additional cup of water.

When the potatoes are cooked but not mushy, add the rest of the ingredients and cook an additional 5 – 10 minutes covered.

That’s it – simple. Now it is going to be awesome today, but it will be even better tomorrow.