Kaldereta sa Gata – Beef Chunks Stewed in Coconut Milk
This Filipino Beef Caldereta (Kaldereta sa Gata) is a creamy, nutty, spicy, and delicious beef stew slowly cooked in coconut milk with tomatoes, aromatics, and spices. Discover the rich flavors of the Philippines in this Filipino-style stew which combines Spanish and Filipino culinary influences.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 lbs (1 kilo) stewing beef with some fat, chopped into 1 ½ - 2-inch chunks,
- 6-8 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 4-5 plum or roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth or water
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 3 medium red potatoes, chopped into 1-inch cubes
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into 1-inch cubes
- ½ each large red and green bell pepper,
chopped
- 1-2 hot Chili peppers or ½ teaspoon red chili flakes optional and adjust to taste
- 2-3 Tablespoons Del Monte Ketchup or tomato sauce, adjust to taste
- 4 Tablespoons crunchy or smooth peanut butter
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and butter over medium to high heat in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Just heat until butter is melted. Sear the beef chunks on all sides. Do it in batches if they won’t fit in the pan. Set aside.
- In the remaining fat, sauté the garlic cloves and chopped onions for a minute. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened a little. Return the beef to the pan. Stir everything. Season with salt, pepper, and fish sauce (if using). Add the bay leaves at this point.
- Pour in the beef broth or water and the coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the meat is fork-tender about 1 ½ -2 hours. Stir occasionally during cooking. If by any chance, the stew dries up (mine didn’t) just add a little water or beef broth.
- When the meat is already cooked and fork-tender, add the potatoes and carrots, and cook until softened but not mushy (still retains shape). Add the bell peppers and chili peppers. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the peanut butter and tomato ketchup or sauce. Simmer until everything is heated thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little salt or fish sauce, if necessary. Serve with a steaming bowl of jasmine rice and garnish with some crushed peanuts on top!!!
- While the Kaldereta is already delicious on the first day, if you can wait, it’s even better the next day.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
Fish sauce adds a lot of flavor but if you don’t have or don’t like Fish sauce just increase the salt and season the stew to taste. Alternatively, you can use a little soy sauce for flavoring. Increase the salt if you are using water instead of the beef broth which is pre-seasoned.
If you wish a thicker/creamier sauce, use only half a can of the Coconut milk in the beginning. Add the rest of the coconut milk towards the end together with the potatoes and carrots. But if you don’t wish the coconut flavor to overwhelm the dish then pour the entire content of the can in the beginning.
Some caldereta are spicy others are not. Feel free to add some spicy kick if you wish to.
If on a paleo diet, use paleo-friendly products for tomato sauce and fish sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 344kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 37gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 713mgPotassium: 1274mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 4156IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!