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Filipino Pork Mechado with Vegetables in a brown bowl.
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Easy Filipino Recipe for Pork Mechado

A Filipino dish consisting of pork stewed in a tomato-based sauce with carrots, potatoes, and bell peppers.
Course Pork
Cuisine Philippine
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 728.9kcal
Author Jocelyn | JOZmahal
Cost $20

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 3 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 medium Onion sliced or quartered
  • 1 medium Tomato sliced or quartered
  • 1 ½ pound Pork Belly 1" cubed
  • 3 tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 cup Chicken Broth
  • 8 ounce Tomato Sauce
  • ½ fresh Lemon Juice
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 2 teaspoon Sugar
  • 2 teaspoon Salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns
  • 2 medium Potatoes diced
  • 2 medium Carrots sliced
  • 1 each Green and Red Bell Peppers sliced

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. For two minutes, saute garlic, onion, and tomatoes until fragrant and caramelized.
    2 tablespoon Olive Oil, 3 cloves Garlic, 1 medium Onion, 1 medium Tomato
  • In the same pan, add the pork belly and soy sauce then sauté until the pork is no longer pink and slightly light brown.
    1 ½ pound Pork Belly, 3 tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, juice of one lemon (or calamansi juice if using), bay leaves, sugar, salt, and whole black peppercorns into the pan. Bring it to a boil, lower the heat, and let it simmer until the pork is tender (approximately 45 minutes to an hour). 
    1 cup Chicken Broth, 8 ounce Tomato Sauce, ½ fresh Lemon Juice, 2 Bay Leaves, 2 teaspoon Sugar, 2 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns
  • Once the pork is tender, add the potatoes, carrots, and red and green bell pepper. Let it cook until the vegetables are fork-tender and the sauce thickens.
    2 medium Potatoes, 2 medium Carrots, 1 each Green and Red Bell Peppers

Notes

  1. If pork belly is not your thing, use different cuts of pork like pork shoulder or pork butt. You can also use different proteins like beef, chicken, or tofu.
  2. If you have calamansi juice, use that in place of lemon. Calamansi is the more traditional Filipino ingredient in making Mechado.
  3. You can add green peas to Mechado. It adds a hint of sweetness to the dish. My son doesn't care for peas, so I omit them. :)
  4. If using chicken bouillon cubes, you can cut back on the salt.
  5. Always toss the bay leaves after cooking. Leaving the bay leaves in the dish for a prolonged time can impart a very overpowering flavor to the dish.
  6. Serve Pork Mechado with steamed white rice.