Nanay’s Mechado

I don't exactly know when and where this recipe originated. What I know is, my grandmother (may she rest in peace), was a great cook. She used to cook for a family of 12 (10 children and the spouses - grandma and grandpa). My grandmother, or Nanay as we fondly call her, hails from the food capital of the country, a province called Pampanga. It is said most, if not all, who come from that province know how to cook. And for me, this recipe is a testament that there must be a grain of truth in that statement.

As someone who grew up with my grandmother, I find this dish important because it's something that I get to remember my Nanay with. Whenever I eat it, it brings back good memories from childhood, especially the times I got to eat this dish with her.

I greatly enjoyed this dish while I was growing up. I remember, we used to have family reunions at my grandmother's house, and one of the star dishes on the table was her Mechado. It was always ready to be served to the more the people in attendance. I guess that's why she passed the recipe down to my mom, so she could have help when cooking a huge batch of this stew, because as the family grew, so did the clamor for this viand.*

And now I'm here, 38 years later after my Nanay passed on, sharing her recipe, the one she passed down to my mother, who then passed it down to me. And as my homage to the women who taught me this, I still cook it the traditional way, slow cooked over low fire, and without any flavor enhancers.

*A meat, seafood, or vegetable dish that accompanies rice in a typical Filipino meal.

1. In a pot, place your water, pork/beef, garlic, onion, tomato, bay leaves, soy sauce, vinegar, and pepper. Bring it to a boil over medium heat.

2. Once the water boils, put the heat on low and keep boiling the meat until fork tender. If you find that the water has reduced and is not covering the meat, add a bit of hot water. Keep boiling until the meat is tender that your fork goes through it (about 1.5 hours).

3. Now that the meat is tender, add carrots and potatoes. Simmer until the root crops are soft but not crumbly. (Or depending on your preference as to the texture of the root crops.)

4. If you like the consistency of the potatoes and carrots, you can add in the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Lower the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.

5. After simmering it for 5 minutes, add the bell pepper and sugar to taste. Simmer for another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.

In the Philippines, we serve this stew with a cup of warm rice and enjoyed as a viand.

Mechado, a delicious meat stew, although of Filipino origins, has some traces of our Spanish influence.

For this recipe, I cooked the meat for about 1.5 hours, to slow cook the meat until it was tender and the natural oil of meat comes out. You could easily pull apart the meat with just a fork. You may opt to use a pressure cooker to cut down on the cooking time, but you may not get the flavors from the meat's natural oil and juices.