YESSS 🔥 Beef Caldereta is rich, bold, and pure comfort—Filipino classic that demands rice.
Here’s a traditional-style Beef Caldereta: tender beef, tomatoey sauce, a little heat, and that signature savory depth.
🍲 Beef Caldereta (Filipino Beef Stew)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup beef broth (or water)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (optional, deeper flavor)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1–2 tbsp fish sauce (to taste)
- 1–2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp sugar (optional, balances acidity)
- Black pepper to taste
Vegetables
- 2 potatoes, cubed
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
Finish
- ¼–⅓ cup peanut butter or ground peanuts (traditional richness)
- ¼–½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- Optional heat: chili flakes or sliced chilies
Instructions
- Brown the beef
Heat oil in a heavy pot. Brown beef in batches until deeply caramelized. Remove. - Build the base
In the same pot, sauté onion until soft. Add garlic; cook until fragrant. - Sauce it up
Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, bay leaves, sugar, and broth. Stir well. - Simmer
Return beef to pot. Cover and simmer 1½–2 hours (or until beef is fork-tender). Stir occasionally. - Add vegetables
Add potatoes and carrots. Simmer 15–20 minutes until tender. - Make it Caldereta
Stir in peanut butter (or ground peanuts) and cheese until sauce is thick, rich, and glossy. - Finish
Add bell peppers and chilies. Simmer 5 more minutes. Adjust seasoning.
🔥 Caldereta Tips
- The sauce should be thick, savory, slightly spicy, not soupy.
- For deeper flavor: add liver spread (1–2 tbsp) instead of peanut butter—very classic.
- Even better the next day. Always.
- Serve with steamed white rice and maybe some atchara on the side.
If you want a pressure cooker version, goat (kalderetang kambing), or extra spicy party-style, say the word 🇵đź‡đźŤš
