Mechadung Baka

I usually call this Beef Mechado with Potato Gratin. However, in Kapampangan, it’s Mechadung Baka. My mother, whom I call Mama (“Mommy Rose” for everyone else), was the one who taught me how to cook this dish. I have known the dish for many years, but it was only three years ago that I got hooked on cooking this for my family, especially since my husband Allen was asking for it several times. What I love about cooking is that since it is for my family, I am so dedicated that I chop the onion myself, even though it makes me cry. I still do it for love.

Dr.Maria Roselle C. MALLARI

MASANTOL

Mechadung Baka

POT 3 - 5 DIFFICULT 5 HR 30 MIN

Laman baka (sirloin beef) patatas (potatoes) sibuyas (onions) kamatis (tomatoes) toyo (soy sauce) bulung laurel (bay leaves) lara (peppers)

In cooking this dish, keep in mind that this can only be successful if you hold on to the philosophy of slow cooking. This dish is not complicated when it comes to its ingredients, as it only has a few. One major factor is the laman baka (sirloin) which should look lean and only have some marbling.

Put the meat in a pot. Add the kamatis, sibuyas, toyu, lara, laurel and a little water.

Note that if you want to make this dish really tasty, include a lot of tomatoes. The juice from the tomatoes will serve as the liquid that will tenderize the meat, so do not dilute the mixture too much.. Some laman baka (sirloin) is harder to tenderize and thus needs plenty of time to boil in the juice released by the tomatoes, combined with the other ingredients.

After adding all the ingredients, just before lighting the flame, mix everything together thoroughly. Once you see the laman baka (sirloin) get stained by the toyu, cover the pot and heat it over a high flame. Watch closely so that when it reaches the boiling point, open the cover and mix all the ingredients again. After doing this, reduce the stove to a small flame and leave it to start the slow cooking. This entails 2 to 4 hours of boiling and checking, until the ingredients turn into a thick sauce. Pay attention to the interior surface of the pot, as it may roast the part of the laman baka that is touching it if not consistently rotated and twisted every now and then.

Once the sauce has almost entirely evaporated, transfer the cooked Beef Mechadu to a clean plate and slice it thinly. Add potato gratin to make it look enticing.

How to describe Selle? Selle is a doctor. Selle is a certified Family Physician. Selle is a registered nutritionist-dietitian. Selle is a devoted Catholic. Selle has been an active choir member for more than 20 years. Selle can sing soprano and alto but not at the same time. Selle can play the guitar and the recorder (a flute-like instrument). All of this describes a superficial Selle. If you ask the people around her, the people that matter most, including her nephew Arjay Solamo, Selle is the greatest cook ever. Selle is also a very good painter according to her niece, Angelica Rose Castro. Selle is very generous according to her brother, Ritchie Castro. Selle is supportive according to her younger sister, Reena Castro. Selle is a good listener according to her older sister, Rowena Solamo. Selle is a loving daughter according to her mother, Rose Castro. Selle is talented according to her husband, Allen Mallari. Selle is all of these because describing Selle is to see her in the eyes of the people around her.