Beef Mechado Recipe

Beef Mechado is beef shank cooked in tomato based sauce with potato, carrot and red & green pepper.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Filipino

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 364kcal

1 pound beef shank
10 peppercorns
3 tablespoon oil
1 medium potatoes peeled and cut
1 medium carrots peeled and cut
1 medium onion peeled and ½ chopped into 2 pieces & other half chopped in small pieces
5 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2-3 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
¾ cup tomato sauce
2 ½ cups beef shank broth
2 bay leaves
1 small green bell pepper seeded and cut into cubes
1 small red bell pepper seeded and cut into cubes
2 teaspoon cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste

Add 4 cups of water with the beef shank in a pot. Bring to a boil
Once it boils, remove the white stuff (scum) that may rise on top of the mixture.
Add peppercorn & onion chopped in 2 pieces. Adjust heat to low-medium.
Cook for 25 minutes till beef shank is half cooked. Turn off heat and put aside including broth.
In another pot heat oil over medium heat.
Saute potatoes and carrots and cook until golden. Remove from pot and set aside.
Saute onions for 3 minutes and add garlic and cook until soft.
Add tomato sauce and bay leaves. Bring to simmer.
Add soy sauce, lemon juice and fish sauce. Simmer for a minute.
Add the beef shank and continue cooking for 3 minutes.
Add beef shank broth & cover. Adjust heat to low-medium.
Once meat is tender, check that you still have enough sauce. If not add more broth and simmer for 2 minutes.
Add carrots, potatoes and celery. Cook for about 3 minutes.
In a bowl add 4 tablespoon of broth and add cornstarch. Mix well.
Pour the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce and stirring constantly.
Add red and green pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes. Keep peppers crisp.
Season with salt. Serve hot.
Serves 3 people.

If you have time, boil the beef at night and refrigerate the pot overnight so fat can harden. When ready to continue cooking remove the harden fat with a kitchen utensil.
When potato is peeled and cut, submerge it in water so it doesn't turn light brown before cooking.
If you have left over broth, don't discard it. Freeze and use it for any recipe that calls for beef broth.