Beef Afritada

Another food obsession of mine is Afritada.  I recently cooked chicken afritda then the week after I cooked pork afritada.

I was buying meat in Market Place Rustan's a few weeks ago and a lady was buying pork finger ribs.  I asked her what she was going to cook and she said, Afritada.  She taught me the easiest recipe.

You can use this recipe for chicken or pork.

Beef Afritada

1/2 C. cooking oil
1/2 K. beef kalitiran cut into chunks
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 200 gr. pouch Del Monte tomato sauce
1 pc. Knorr beef cube
2 C. water then add as needed
2 potatoes
1 carrot
1 red bell pepper
1 small can whole mushrooms
1/2 t. black pepper
1 t. MSG
2 t. fish sauce

Half-fry the potatoes, carrots and bell pepper in the cooking oil.  Remove and set aside.

Use the same oil and sear the beef.  Set Aside.

Saute the onions first then the garlic.  When soft and fragrant, add the tomato sauce.

Let it boil then add the Knorr beef cube and water. When it is boiling, add the beef. Lower heat and simmer for 2 hours.

Transfer the stew into the slow cooker and cook for an additional 3 hours.

If you don't have a slow cooker, cook in the pot but add hot water a cup at a time if meat is not yet tender.

When the meat is tender, transfer back into the pot and add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and bell pepper.  Season with pepper, MSG and fish sauce.

Cook until the potatoes are soft.

*Add hot water if the sauce becomes dry.