Pork Caldereta Recipe

Pork Caldereta is a Filipino tomato based stew. It is composed of cubed pork , potato, carrots, tomato sauce,and  liver spread. There are also regions in the Philippines that makes use of peanut butter.

One of the great things about food is its ever-evolving nature, and how it usually adjusts to the place where it is eaten. As such, did you know that our favorite Caldereta is actually a local adaptation of a Spanish dish? But like many of the recipes we’ve grown to love and adopt in our cuisine, this dish has faced many adjustments. And not only is it fitted to our local palate, but it’s also used ingredients more accessible to us, hence the birth of Pork Caldereta.

But first, let’s break down the roots of this flavorful dish:

As mentioned earlier, Caldereta comes from a Spanish recipe with the same name. The Spanish Caldereta comes from the Castile and León region of the country. This dish features lamb as the primary meat ingredient. But you can still see clear similarities in our rendition and theirs. Both utilize some savory liver to add a pinch of distinctive flavor to the dish.

And of course, with the name of the dish in mind, both involve the mixing of a delightful variety of components to make some thick stew in a pot. Caldereta means “cauldron” or “cooking pot” in Spanish. And with the Spanish colonization in the Philippines beginning in the 1520s, they brought over multiple dishes we now cook. But we’ve also altered some of them to our taste and available ingredients.

The result? It is nothing less than the most delectable and rich orange stew made with onions, potatoes, liver, and of course, your meat of choice. You serve the classic version of Caldereta is with goat, but beef is another famous alternative. But another meat you definitely should try as well with this mix of ingredients is pork. After all, it has a less strong taste that takes well to the added flavors of tomato sauce, olives and onions!

If you’re ready to put your chef’s hat on for this Pork Caldereta, let’s get to cooking:

Pour 3 tablespoons of cooking oil into a cooking pot to begin making this meaty stew. Wait for your oil to heat up. Then you can go ahead and add in your 3 cloves of chopped garlic, and 1 chopped onion. Sauté these together nicely.

Afterwards, you can put your 2 lbs. of pork that have been cut up into cubes in your pot. Also sauté this until you get a beautiful light brown color from the meat. That would be your sign to add 8 oz. of tomato sauce, as well as 1 ½ cups of water. Wait for this to boil, and then cover the pot. Let the mixture cook while your fire is in low heat for 60 minutes.

And for that unmistakable Caldereta flavor, we’ll be putting ½ cup of liver spread in the pot. Make sure to stir your pot afterwards to distribute the liver spread well, and cook this for 3 minutes. Let’s also add our 2 potatoes that we’ve cut into cubes, as well as 2 carrots we’ve sliced for that deliciously crunchy vegetable ingredient. Now you have to put the cover on, and wait for this to cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.

We’ll be integrating a couple more ingredients with our ¾ cup of green olives, as well as 1 medium red bell pepper and 1 green bell pepper, which we’ve sliced. Also let this cook, but only for 5 minutes. And for our final touch, simply season with a bit of salt and ground black pepper to your preference.

All that’s left is making sure you turn the heat off, then placing this lovely Caldereta in your dish of choice. You’re sure to impress guests with this tasty combination of savory flavors!

Now how about you try some of these other Caldereta recipes:

Chicken Caldereta

For that healthier option in eating Caldereta, you might want to try the equally tasty white meat variant. Chicken Caldereta has all the amazing contents of our main recipe above— from the luscious tomato sauce to the crunchy bell peppers. But it’s got a couple of other distinguishing factors that might appeal to you just a bit more. For one, it has some milder-flavored chicken serving as the meat of the dish. That, and it’s also got some yummy cheddar cheese, which tastes exceptionally well with our tomatoes and potatoes!

Pulutan Style Beef Caldereta

Perhaps you are considering your next Filipino dish to eat alongside some alcohol. If so, this is the perfect recipe for that flavorful, but not too overpowering pulutan dish! Pulutan Style Beef Caldereta gives you an exciting taste of heat to pair with your drink, while fulfilling any meaty cravings. And the best part is it won’t take up too much of your time, as you’ll only need 1 hour to get it ready.

What did you think of this Pork Caldereta recipe? I’d love to hear any questions or suggestions you might have!

Watch the Video on How to Cook Pork Caldereta

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