Beef Afritada Recipe
Course: Beef, PinoyDifficulty: EasyServings
4
servingsPrep time
15
minutesCooking time
50
minutesCalories per serving
350
kcalBeef afritada is another popular Pinoy recipe. It is so popular that you can buy or order this at any carinderia. And of course, every cook in the Philippines has their own version of this Pinoy recipe. This is basically beef cooked in tomato sauce with some vegetables.
Beef afritada is fairly easy to make and is quite delicious. You can actually use pork or chicken instead of beef, whichever is available or cheaper. I used beef because that was what’s available.
I really like the color of the cooked beef afritada. The combination of red and green resembles the colors of December. You can also add green peas if you want. I did not include it on this recipe because I did not have it at that time. You can modify this recipe according to you preference. My aunt would use soy sauce instead of fish sauce and would always come out good. But I always use fish sauce because that’s what I prefer.
Some Pinoy cooks would use cornstarch to thicken the sauce. But on this Pinoy recipe of beef afritada, I did not have to use cornstarch because the sauce has thickened by itself by just simmering it on low heat for quite a long time, let say approximately 20 minutes. Others would also pre-fry the potatoes to give it a nice effect, but I was just too lazy to do that. But if you prefer to do that, you have to add the pre-fried potatoes lastly. You also have to simmer the beef afritada for quite a long time to lock in the flavor of the mixture to the beef chunks before adding the pre-fried potatoes.
Beef afritada is fairly easy to make and is quite delicious. You can actually use pork or chicken instead of beef, whichever is available or cheaper. I used beef because that was what’s available.
I really like the color of the cooked beef afritada. The combination of red and green resembles the colors of December. You can also add green peas if you want. I did not include it on this recipe because I did not have it at that time. You can modify this recipe according to you preference. My aunt would use soy sauce instead of fish sauce and would always come out good. But I always use fish sauce because that’s what I prefer.
Some Pinoy cooks would use cornstarch to thicken the sauce. But on this Pinoy recipe of beef afritada, I did not have to use cornstarch because the sauce has thickened by itself by just simmering it on low heat for quite a long time, let say approximately 20 minutes. Others would also pre-fry the potatoes to give it a nice effect, but I was just too lazy to do that. But if you prefer to do that, you have to add the pre-fried potatoes lastly. You also have to simmer the beef afritada for quite a long time to lock in the flavor of the mixture to the beef chunks before adding the pre-fried potatoes.
Ingredients
1 lb beef cut into chunks
3 tbsp cooking oil
5 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup red and green bell peppers, cut into strips
1 tsp concentrated beef broth
1 oz tomato sauce
2 cups of water
1 cup chopped carrots
1-1/2 cup chopped potatoes
3 pcs bay leaves
Fish sauce or soy sauce to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- Cut beef in chunks, mix it with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, optionally you can add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Sprinkle everything on top with black ground pepper and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix two cups of water with one teaspoon of concentrated beef broth. Stir everything with a spoon until the broth is completely dissolved in water. Our beef broth is ready!
- Fry the beef in vegetable oil for about 10 minutes. Set aside on a separate plate.
- Fry the onion in the same pan. If there is not enough oil, add 1 tbsp more. Cook until it becomes soft.
- Then add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add beef, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cook for about 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Now add beef broth, bay leaves and salt to taste. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 15 minutes over medium heat.
- Add diced carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- At the very end, add green and red bell peppers and cook, covered, for another 3 minutes.
- Serve the finished dish with fragrant Basmati rice. Bon appetit!
