Kaldereta facts for kids
 
Top: Goat kaldereta;
Bottom: Beef kaldereta with rice |
|
| Course | Main course |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Philippines |
| Region or state | Popular in the Philippines, Luzon (Southern Tagalog) |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Goat /mutton shoulders, corn oil, onion, garlic, carrots, bell pepper, potatoes, chili, flour, liver spread, tomato paste, butter, stock (beef or brown) |
| Variations | Beef, pork, chicken |
| Similar dishes | Afritada, Menudo |
Kaldereta (also spelled caldereta) is a super yummy meat stew that comes from the Philippines. While it's traditionally made with goat meat, you can also find tasty versions made with beef, chicken, or even pork.
This delicious stew is cooked with lots of vegetables. These often include tomatoes, potatoes, olives, and different kinds of bell peppers. Sometimes, it also has a rich tomato sauce. A special ingredient often added is liver paste, which makes the sauce thick and flavorful.
The name "Kaldereta" comes from the Spanish word caldera. This word means "cauldron," which is a large cooking pot. This dish came to the Philippines from Spain a long time ago. The Spanish brought it during the 300 years they were in the Philippines.
Kaldereta is quite similar to other Filipino stews like afritada and mechado. This is because they all use common ingredients like tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. Kaldereta is often served during special events, parties, and big celebrations.
Contents
How to Make Kaldereta
Making Kaldereta involves a few steps to get that perfect flavor. Here's how it's usually done:
Getting Started
- First, you heat about a quarter cup of cooking oil in a big stock pot.
- Then, you add chopped onions, garlic, and your chosen meat (goat, beef, or chicken). You sauté them until the meat turns a nice brown color.
Cooking the Meat
- If you're using beef, sometimes a pressure cooker is used. This helps the meat get super soft much faster than cooking it on a regular stove top.
- Goat meat can sometimes have a strong, "gamy" smell. To fix this, it's often soaked in vinegar, salt, and black pepper for at least an hour before cooking. This is called marinating.
- For chicken, marinating it in pineapple juice and soy sauce can make it even more flavorful.
Simmering the Stew
- Next, you add tomato sauce, a bay leaf, salt, a little sugar, and water to the pot.
- Let the mixture simmer, which means to cook slowly over low heat. This usually takes about 1.5 to 2 hours until the meat is really tender.
Adding the Vegetables
- Once the meat is soft, you can add the bell peppers, potatoes, carrots, and hot sauce.
- Let everything simmer for another 10 minutes. This helps the vegetables cook through and soak up the flavors.
Finishing Touches
- Finally, stir in the liver paste and green peas.
- Let it simmer for just 5 more minutes.
- Some people like to add green olives. They give the stew a nice sour taste that goes well with the other ingredients.
- To serve, you can sprinkle some shredded cheese on top of the stew. It's usually eaten with warm rice.
See also
In Spanish: Kaldereta para niños
