Pochero Recipe (Beef Stew with Tomato Sauce and Vegetables)

Beef, pork, or chicken can be used for Pochero dish.


Ingredients:

1 kilo or 2.2 lbs beef brisket, cut into stewing pieces
enough water to cover meat
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 piece white onion, minced
1 piece tomato, minced
3 tablespoons cooking oil, preferably olive oil
½ cup tomato sauce
2 pieces potato, peeled and quartered
4 pieces ripe cooking bananas (saba or plantain), peeled, cut into 1-inch rings
½ cup garbanzos (chickpeas)
¼ cup chorizo (Spanish sausage), sliced into 1/4-inch rings
¼ kilo or ½ lb Chinese cabbage (bokchoy, pechay), or any cabbage, spinach, washed, cut into 2-inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste


Cooking directions:

Place the beef brisket and water in a pot. Simmer over medium heat until meat is tender. Remove meat from the liquid. Set aside the beef and stock.

Preheat pot with oil. Sauté the garlic, onion, and tomato over medium heat.

Add the beef brisket, sausage, tomato sauce, and reserved stock. Stir.

Add the potatoes, chickpeas, bananas. Simmer until the potatoes are half-cooked.

Add the cabbage or spinach and continue cooking until the bananas and potatoes are done.

Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm. You may eat with rice and sauce either fish sauce (patis) and lime/lemon/calamansi juice dip.