This Filipino Beef Caldereta Recipe is a great meal for the whole family. It’s hearty, rich, and very filling. Beef, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables and herbs simmer in a flavorful tomato-beef broth base.
Filipino food is mostly comfort food, but there are a few dishes that are even better than the best comfort food.
Caldereta is one of them. My own version is easy to make and adjust to your taste. And, your house will smell AMAZING while this is cooking on your stove![feast_advanced_jump_to].
As an amateur home cook and food blogger, I’m always seeking new flavorful recipes to add to my repertoire. One Filipino dish I’ve come to love is beef caldereta – a hearty stew featuring succulent beef, tomatoes, and liver spread. Though traditional versions rely on liver spread for thickness and flavor, I’ve discovered a way to make authentic, delicious caldereta using easy substitutions.
In this detailed guide I’ll walk through my tried-and-true method for creating the perfect liver spread-free beef caldereta. I’ll share handy prep tips my homemade caldereta sauce recipe, and useful serving suggestions to help you nail this classic dish. By the end, you’ll see how easy and rewarding it is to make beef caldereta without liver spread! Let’s get cooking.
Picking the Right Beef Cuts
The first step in caldereta success is choosing quality beef. Opt for cuts that become tender when stewed:
- Chuck steak or blade steak – Well-marbled for flavor
- Bottom round or rump roast – Lean yet tender
- Short ribs or oxtails – Adds collagen for body
I prefer chuck steak cubed into 1-inch pieces. Bottom round works well too. Whatever you choose, make sure to cut the beef into uniform bite-sized chunks to enable even cooking.
Pre-Cooking Prep Work
Proper prep ensures your caldereta comes out tasting its best:
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Pat beef dry – Blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture for better browning
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Season liberally – Coat beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder for flavor
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Sear beef – Quickly brown on all sides in batches in hot oil to seal in juices
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Sauté aromatics – Cook onion, garlic, bay leaves until fragrant
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Deglaze pan – Add liquid and scrape up browned bits stuck to pan
Taking the time to prep your ingredients pays off with deeper, more complex flavors. Now let’s make that lip-smacking caldereta sauce!
Crafting the Perfect Caldereta Sauce
The sauce is what gives caldereta its iconic rich, tangy flavor. My easy homemade recipe uses simple substitutions:
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1 cup tomato sauce – Provides tangy tomato flavor
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1/4 cup peanut butter – Adds natural thickness like liver spread
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1 cup beef broth – Enhances meaty flavors
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Vinegar and soy sauce – Offer depth of flavor
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Onion, garlic, spices – Boost overall taste
Here are step-by-step instructions for making it:
- Sauté onions and garlic until softened
- Add tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, soy sauce, and spices
- Whisk in peanut butter until fully incorporated
- Simmer until thickened to desired consistency
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed
And that’s it – an easy, tasty, homemade caldereta sauce without liver spread!
Putting It All Together
Follow these steps for irresistible beef caldereta:
- Sear seasoned beef cubes to brown
- Sauté onions, garlic, and bay leaves
- Make caldereta sauce in pan and simmer
- Return beef and any juices to pan
- Add potatoes, carrots, peas, bell peppers
- Simmer until beef is fork-tender, about 1 hour
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
- Garnish with chopped green onions
Choose hearty side dishes like steamed rice or crusty bread to serve your liver spread-free caldereta. A refreshing mango salad also balances the rich stew.
Handy Tips for Caldereta Success
Here are some useful tips I’ve picked up for making stellar caldereta:
- Use a nonstick pan for easy food release when searing beef
- When simmering, partially cover pan so sauce reduces faster
- For convenience, use pre-cut frozen vegetables
- Stir stew periodically to prevent sticking or burning
- For creamier sauce, swirl in butter at the end
- Let stew rest 10 minutes before serving so flavors meld
With practice, you’ll be able to whip up amazing caldereta without liver spread anytime. This tasty stew is about to become one of your go-to meals!
Get Creative with Your Caldereta
One of the great things about caldereta is how versatile it is. Feel free to experiment with different add-ins:
- Potatoes, bell peppers, peas, carrots – Classic veggies
- Green beans, eggplant, squash, spinach – Mix it up
- Shrimp, fish, chicken, pork – For seafood/poultry caldereta
- Cheese, silken tofu – For a creamy twist
- Chili peppers, hot sauce – To spice things up
Flavor combos are endless, so have fun coming up with your own signature version!
What to serve with caldereta
You should eat this stew with big slices of crusty bread so that the thick, tomato-based sauce can soak into the bread. Or try making Filipino Pandesal, soft rolls that would go well with caldereta.
Of course, every Filipino meal also needs some authentic Filipino Lumpia!
What is caldereta?
Caldereta, also known as kaldereta, is a thick classic Filipino stew. Ive taken the base of this popular dish, and given it my own Filipino-American twist.
If you’ve never had caldereta (or kaldereta), it tastes like beef stew or Beef Bourguignon when it’s made with beef. The flavor is more tangy than the American and French versions.
Traditional, authentic Filipino recipes call for goat meat caldereta. However, goat meat isnt so easy to find where I live, so this is a beef caldereta.
Authentic Filipino caldereta recipes also include liver spread. This is used to help thicken the stew, and to add an interesting, unique flavor.
In place of liver paste, Ive thickened the stew with a cornstarch slurry.
The flavor is still amazing, and I think you will LOVE this truly special stew!
Beef – This recipe is very forgiving, and you can use a variety of different cuts of beef. I use beef chuck or stew meat. You can use beef brisket, bottom round beef, or even beef short ribs.
Olive oil – Use your favorite olive oil to sauté the first set of ingredients.
Garlic: Four garlic cloves are called for in the recipe, but you can use more or less than that. Id recommend sticking to the 2 to 5 garlic clove range.
Onions – Dice 1 small yellow onion.
Carrots – Slice enough carrots to reach about 2 cups worth, about 4 medium or large carrots.
Potatoes – Dice 2 russett potatoes. You should end up between 2 cups and 2.5 cups.
Cornstarch – Youll be using cornstarch to create a cornstarch slurry to thicken the stew. This takes on the role of liver spread in more traditional Filipino caldereta recipes.
Beef broth – Use homemade or store-bought beef broth.
Tomato paste – This adds to the richness of the stew.
Bay leaves – Use two to add flavor while the stew is cooking. Before you serve the caldereta, don’t forget to take out each bay leaf.
Green Olives – Olives add a bright, briny flavor to the stew.
Also added at the end of the cooking time are olives and red bell pepper. This keeps them from getting too done.
Exact measurements of ingredients and instructions are in the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this post. Here are some helpful tips to guide you as you make this recipe.
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Sauté garlic and onions for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the vegetables are soft and fragrant.
3. Add the carrots and potatoes to the pot. Stir.
4. Add the beef and cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often so that all sides get brown.
5. In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and water to create a cornstarch slurry. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the pot and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
6. Add the beef broth and tomato sauce to the pot. Cook at a medium boil, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes.
7. Add the bay leaves, then cover and reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for 1 to 2 hours.
8. Check the stew at 1 hour. If the beef isn’t done yet or the potatoes and beef aren’t soft, keep cooking for up to two hours more. My caldereta is usually done to my liking after around one and a half hours of cooking time.
9. Add the red peppers and green olives, then cook, uncovered, for 3 to 4 more minutes. Once the peppers are slightly tender, turn off the heat and serve the stew.
All of these dishes are Filipino stews – with some minor differences. For caldereta, you can get goat or beef; for afritada, chicken; for menudo, pork, pork liver, or hot dogs; and for mechado, pork or beef. Caldereta is the only Filipino stew that uses green olives. Mechado is different from the others because it is cooked in tomato and soy sauce instead of oil. It usually has red and green bell peppers. Menudo usually includes liver spread (like kaldereta) and raisins.
This is the Filipino beef caldereta recipe that doesn’t call for liver spread. Liver spread is a canned food item from the Philippines that is made from peanut butter mixed with pork, beef, or chicken liver. Instead of liver spread I use a cornstarch slurry to add thickness to the stew. You can also add some peanut butter to thicken the stew and add a little more flavor.
Allow the caldereta to cool completely to room temperature before storing. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to two months.
For this classic Filipino dish, you just need a few basic kitchen tools:
Cutting board and knife – Youll need a sturdy cutting board and sharp knife.
Dutch Oven – Youll need a large pot with a heavy bottom to make this Filipino stew. I use either my 4-quart Staub dutch oven or my 6-quart Staub dutch oven.
Wooden Spoon – Use a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients while cooking.
Small bowl – Youll need a small bowl and whisk to create the cornstarch slurry.
Beef Caldereta Recipe (Without Liver Paste)
FAQ
What to replace liver spread in caldereta?
How do you thicken caldereta?
Where to use liver spread?
What part of beef is caldereta cut?
Can you make caldereta without liver spread?
There are other Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approved ingredients that you can use for your next caldereta recipe. If you’re willing to try a new and different way of making your caldereta without any liver spread, here are some creamy alternatives for that caldereta recipe: 1 Use peanut butter.
What is Filipino beef caldereta without liver spread?
This Filipino Beef Caldereta recipe without liver spread is a rich, hearty, tomato sauce based stew. Delicious Filipino comfort food.
Can you eat caldereta with white rice?
Caldereta especially beef is always best when paired with white rice. But, if you’re not a fan of white rice, you can always add more potatoes and other vegetables if you prefer it that way. Heat vegetable oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic. Add beef and mix until brown. Cover for 5 minutes.
Does kaldereta have liver paste?
Despite not having the liver paste included in the recipe, it did not take away the distinct aroma of Filipino kaldereta. Feel free to add or leave out some of the ingredients, if you wish. Caldereta especially beef is always best when paired with white rice.