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{{Short description|Filipino braised beef dish}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name = Mechado
| image = [[File:Cooked mechado.JPG|230px|Mechado]]
| caption = Mechado (stew variant)
| alternate_name =
| country = [[Philippines]]
| region =
| creator =
| course = [[Main course]]
| served = Hot
| main_ingredient = [[Beef]], [[soy sauce]], [[calamansi]], [[black pepper]], [[onions]]
| variations = Beef tongue
| calories =
| other =
}}
'''Mechado''' is a [[braised]] [[beef]] dish originating from the [[Philippines]] inspired by the Mexican dish called [[Menudo (soup)|Menudo]] which the Filipinos adopted during the colonial period. [[Soy sauce]] and [[calamansi]] fruits are key ingredients in the braising liquid.

==Etymology==

The name ''mechado'' is derived from the Spanish verb ''mechar'', meaning "to stuff" or, in this case, "to [[lard]]", i. e., inserting strips of [[fatback]] into the pieces of beef. The term was adopted as ''mitsa'' in accordance with [[Filipino orthography|Filipino orthographic conventions]], though the spelling ''mitsado'' for the dish is unorthodox and rarely seen.

==Preparation==

The traditional version of the dish is done by inserting strips of pork fatback into thick cuts of inexpensive beef (specifically the [[chuck steak|chuck]]) to provide both succulence and flavor. The larded beef is then marinated in soy sauce, calamansi, and [[black pepper]]. They are then quickly browned on all sides in hot oil and then [[braising|braised]] in the marinade with the addition of [[beef broth]], [[onions]], and [[bay leaves]] until tender, the liquid reducing to a thick [[gravy]]. [[Fish sauce]] is often added during the braise as seasoning. The dish can be cooked in tomato sauce in a clay pot.

Over the years, the name of the dish has increasingly come to encompass variations that use thinner slices or even bony cuts of beef and that have dispensed with the larding process altogether. Newer variations of the dish resemble more like a [[beef stew]]. A popular incarnation of ''mechado'' features tomatoes predominantly in the braising liquid, as well as cuts of potatoes.

The [[Beef tongue]] can be similarly treated with little or no variation to produce another dish called ''lengua mechada''.

==See also==
* [[Balbacua]]
* [[Kare-kare]]
* [[Kaldereta]]
* [[Philippine adobo]]
* [[List of beef dishes]]
* [[List of stews]]
* {{portal-inline|Food}}

{{Filipino food}}
{{Beef}}

[[Category:Philippine stews]]
[[Category:Philippine beef dishes]]
{{二次利用|date=1 February 2025, at 11:38}}

Mechado/en - Revision history

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