Carne Mechada is the Venezuelan way of preparing pulled beef. It is extremely fresh and yet tasty. Paired up with white rice and seasoned black beans, it becomes a dish called Pabellón Criollo. Which is recognised by many as the national dish of Venezuela. Carne Mechada can also be used as a filling for arepas (Venezuelan dough bread made from corn) and other pastries such as empanadas (think ang-moh curry puff pastry). Here is one of the simpler (but not inferior) recipes that we have experimented with in the kitchen for a simple Sunday family dinner.
Carne Mechada
Ingredients:
-1kg frozen beef stew cubes (thawed)
-enough water to cover beef
-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-2 large onions, thinly sliced
-2 yellow bell peppers (capsicums), sliced thinly
-2 tomatoes, diced
-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
-1 bunch coriander, finely chopped
-2 beef stock cubes (Knorr is the preferred brand) dissolved in 1 cup hot water
-black pepper to taste
-1 to 2 teaspoons salt (go by taste)
-1 to 2 teaspoons sugar (again go by taste)
Place the thawed beef cubes and water in a large pot. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Or until the beef cubes are tender and easy to pierce with a fork. Drain the beef and transfer to a large plate. Shred the beef finely with 2 forks and set aside.
In a non-stick, deep-dished pan, fry the onions, garlic and bell peppers for 5 minutes on medium high heat. The mixture should be soft and tender.
Add the beef, tomatoes, black pepper, coriander and dissolved beef stock cubes with hot water. Increase the heat to high and fry the mixture until it dries up. Remove from heat and taste. Season with the necessary amount of salt and sugar. Mix well and serve.
No comments:
Post a Comment