Spicy Beef Kaldereta
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My special beef kaldereta recipe–chunks of stewing beef sauteed in olive oil with plenty of chopped garlic, onions and tomatoes then slow cooked in a little water until fork tender. The sauce is thereafter thickened with mashed cooked liver. Wedges of golden fried potatoes, bells peppers and olives are added just before cooking time is up. That didn’t sound complicated, did it? Kaldereta is not a difficult dish to cook. There are a few pointers to remember though. First is never to scrimp on the amount of chopped garlic, onions and tomatoes. Second is to add water little by little during the cooking to avoid thinning the sauce too much. Third is to use stewing beef, never loins or rounds, because the flavor of the sauce develops during the slow cooking.
Kaldereta is a classic Filipino dish. It can be cooked with beef, pork or chicken. I’ve even used boneless bangus fillets, a real treat. But probably the most exotic kaldereta is the version using goat meat. I’ve tried it and didn’t particularly like it. Too little meat.
Traditionally, kaldereta sauce is thickened with mashed cooked liver. Modern cooks substitute canned liver spread or bottled liver pate (more expensive). My personal preference is mashed boiled chicken livers. If you’ve never used mashed liver before and find canned liver spread more convenient, well, I guess you won’t really perceive the difference. Your kaldereta will still taste good. But, if you’re in the mood for the extra effort, I really encourage using mashed boiled chicken livers. Once you’ve tried it, you would consider substituting liver spread only as a last and desperate resort.
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31 Responses to “Spicy Beef Kaldereta”
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Mrs. Leslie, hello! Beware if he starts putting on weight. LOL My husband says it’s my fault that he isn’t GQ material anymore.
I will try this recipe soon. I am a lover of kaldereta be it beef, chicken or goat and Ive been wanting to cook the best .I’ve heard about different versions of kaldereta. There’s one with peanut butter, with coconut cream or even with an all purpose cream. There is one recipe that uses pineapple juice to make the meat tender. Have your tried using them? Can you post your version using these ingredients.
HI! Im just curious, what about tomato sauce and tomato paste? do you put those to your kaldereta? How can i have the tasty sauce without it? Please let me know.
thanks,
aileen
instead of using tomato paste or sause (which will surely be tasty and economical) use a lot of fresh tomatoes.and being in japan for a long time,i usually use instant canned/goods, like using (Reno) liver spread instead of cooked liver,its more tastier too.one secret i learned cooking Caldereta is to use real plenty of onions.and of course,the pineapple juice while making it tender and tastier. i used almost the same procedure for my Lenqua recipe. delicious but stay on diet
im going to cook this tomorrow night just wont put chili on it because of the kids…my husband is a beef lover im sure he’s going to like this one:)
Hi Connie,
Your blog is really great! I was wondering — what is the difference (taste, preparation, recipe) between menudo and caldereta? It seems they both have strong tomato/onion/garlic base. I tried to make lamb caldereta tonight, but it came out tasting like menudo. Maybe it’s because I added sugar (to neutralize the tomato sauce)? I know menudo sometimes has raisins or pinapples in it, which can make it slightly sweet. I didn’t add chopped liver — but menudo has chopped liver sometimes, too. Confusing! Maybe I created a menudo-caldereta hybrid.
Thanks,
Cammy
Menudo has pork; kaldereta has beef (more traditional is goat meat).
Menudo has diced liver; kaldereta has chopped/mashed liver that is stirred into the sauce to thicken it.
Menudo has raisins, as you said, and that adds a sweetish tinge to the dish.
Both are spanish in origin and, I imagine, just variations of the traditional spanish stew.
So long as the result tastes great, roastporkbun.
Hi Connie, I’m really having fun reading your articles, all of them if I must say so. My darling if an avid for goat kaldereta. Unfortunately, I haven’t done it yet as I don’t know how to properly clean the goat meat, also to get rid of that somewhat smell.
Now I have your Kaldereta recipe, what about how to really clean tha goat meat. Here in Canada, we have all the goat sold cubed and frozen.
Thanks so much and more power. You just don’t know how we are entertained with your stories and recipes to learn everyday.
Susan
Hi,
Can I use pressure cooker to shorten the cooking time?
Thanks! Love you recipes!
Oh, sure you can, Grace, although kaldereta is essentially a slow-cook dish.
Happy new Year
Hi, What would be the difference if I use the pressure cooker? Thanks
Just shorter cooking time, Jennifer.
hello connie,
finally i need to browse your pinoy cook pages. i brought 2 packs of del monte tomato sauce with me from pinas, the first pack i already used for experimenting with my available ingredients and ok naman. pero the other pack, i want to use for cooking authentic pinoy recipe. nalula ako sa choices, hahaha
any suggestions? yung madali lang pati ingredients
Hi Connnie! This is the best Caldereta I’ve ever tasted, everybody in my family loved it including my choosy husband….. I gave some to my neighbor too and it was a click……Hurray for Connie! You have a nice day always……
Hi Ms. Connie!
I tried this recipe out earlier this evening, and it was my first time to cook caldereta. It was absolutely delicious, it really was. I now understand why you stressed out that caldereta is essentially a slow-cook dish. I should have cooked more, might have tasted better tomorrow.
thanks!
oh by the way, i used liver spread instead of mashed chicken liver. not in the mood for the extra effort, hehehe
hi thanks a lot … now i have an a unique idea for that recipe to make it attractive
thaknk you nadagdagan yung kaalaman ko sa pagluluto
Hi, Ms. Connie,
When I saw the photo of Caldereta, it’s YUMMY, i love it! Try to cook this weekend, for my hubby and d Kids of course, sure they will enjoy eating on my caldereta cheesy style .
Tks for the knowledge on cooking caldereta.
This recipe looks great! I’m going to make this in a crockpot. What do I need to do differently?
is it ok if i used lamb liver in a menudo instead of pork liver?will it be the same taste?pls reply..thank you
hi connie! i tried this last night but i added cheese hehe! just a bit of an experiment kse i heard it from my sister that it actually taste good when u add cheese and it does!!!
my husband loved it and he said that he doesnt like pinoy food hahaha! he doesnt know all along that he keeps on eating ‘em harhar!
thanks again for the inspiration! i always run to your site whenever i dont know what to cook.
next pamalengke, ipapasama ko nato sa bibilhin.
isa to sa paborito ko talaga. siguro dahil paborito ko rin ang menudo.
isang part na gusto ko dito yung olives. manamisnamis.
salamat sa recipe.
Helo Ms Connie, are you familiar with magic cooker or the thermal cooker. With the non stop price increases of gas/lpg ive invest one tiger thermal /magic cooker and i was planning to have this cook on it, how much liquid should i use or will it be the same? thanks
mae, i wouldn’t know because i do not use that kind of cooker.
ok din ba na lagyan ng kesoat pineapple, lierspread,,,,
hiconnie. how much liver spread should i used if im using canned? thanks!
1 small can, bel.
hehe tnx this recipe enlightened me.kala ko kc dati walang potato and carrots ang kaldereta.