Beef Pares is the best food pairing ever! The combination of tender beef asado, garlic fried rice, and piping-hot broth is filling and delicious.
It’s the height of Summer, and as expected, our Southern California temperatures have been in the high 80’s. It’s tolerable weather but still hot enough to have me cooped up in the house with the a/c on 24/7.
I’ve heard, though, that some parts of the Philippines are experiencing strong typhoons and torrential rains so I really shouldn’t be bawling like a teething baby over a bit of July heat. To our kababayans, please keep warm and be safe. 🙂
Hearty soups are my favorite comfort foods and rain or shine, they’re on our dinner table at least 2 to 3 times a week. There’s just something about piping-hot sinigang or tinola that soothes the weary soul.
I had a good chunk of beef brisket thawing in the fridge which I meant to make into nilagang baka today for lunch but upon inspection of my produce bin, I realized I didn’t have cabbage, green beans or even potatoes to pull the dish together. Ugh, I really should have a better handle of keeping my pantry well-stocked.
Anyway, all’s well that ends well because I decided instead to make beef pares and enjoyed it a lot more than I think I would have a bowl of nilaga. I don’t make this dish very often, and I was glad of the refreshing change of flavor.
While I was chowing down the tender beef between generous spoonfuls of garlic fried rice and greedy slurps of the broth, I was muttering to myself, “Man, whoever dreamed up this awesome food pairing should be placed in the annals of Philippine history.” LOL, seriously, I enjoyed it that much!
Beef pares, indeed, a delicious medley of tastes. The sweet and salty meat is traditionally served with garlic fried rice and a flavorful beef broth for a meal that’s delicious and filling. It takes a few good hours to make but so worth the effort.
How to Make Beef Pares
- Simmer chunks of beef brisket until in pot of water and aromatics until tender. Don’t skip blanching of the beef for 8 to 10 minutes as this step ensures the broth is clear and free of sediments.
- When beef is tender, braise in a soy sauce, brown sugar and star anise mixture reminiscent of Chinese asado.
- Reserve the broth and keep warm on low heat. Garnish with chopped scallions when ready to serve.
- Make garlic fried rice. For best results, use cold, day-old cooked rice.
Give this awesome pares a try and let me know what you think. As always, I appreciate you. 😚
Beef Pares
Ingredients
For the Broth
- 2 pounds beef brisket, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 6 cups water
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and pounded
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon salt and more as needed
- green onions, chopped
- pepper to taste
For the Beef Asado
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 thumb-size ginger, peeled and julienned
- 1 cup broth (reserved from cooking the beef)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 pieces star anise
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Garlic Fried Rice
- 4 cups day-old cold rice
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Broth
- In a pot over medium heat, bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add beef brisket and boil, skimming scum that floats on top, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain beef, discarding liquid. Rinse meat and pot well.
- Return meat to clean pot and add 6 cups of cold water. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Skim scum that floats on top.
- When water is clear of scum,, add quartered onions, pounded garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon salt.
- Lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. With a slotted spoon, remove meat from broth. Keep broth on low heat.
For the Beef Asado
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the chopped onions, minced garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring regularly, until softened.
- Add beef and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned.
- In a bowl, combine 1 cup of the reserved broth (from cooking the beef), soy sauce, and brown sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved and add to skillet.
- Add star anise.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring to coat meat with sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 to 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced and meat is fork-tender.
For the Garlic Fried Rice
- In a bowl, break cold rice to separate grains.
- In a wide skillet over low heat, heat about 1/4 cup oil. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown. With a slotted spoon, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Remove excess oil except for about 1 to 2 tablespoons.
- Raise heat to high, swirling the oil to coat the surface of the pan.
- Add rice and cook, spreading on the surface of the pan for about 45 seconds or until grains start to sizzle and then tossing to redistribute. Repeat a few times until rice is heated through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To Serve Beef Pares
- Ladle broth into serving bowls and garnish with green onions.
- On serving plates, divide garlic fried rice and the braised beef. Serve hot with the beef broth.
Nutrition
One more thing. How do i make the beef broth clear? No matter how much I try to skim off the scum, i end up with a brown and cloudy broth. Is there a trick or special tool i need to use for this?
Hi Teng,
The trick to getting a clear broth in any style of cooking is to simmer your liquid and stock ingredients very gently, If it boils too hard the fat will bind to the liquids and cause your broth to be cloudy.
Cloudy broth still tastes good though so if you’re cooking at home I wouldn’t worry too much 🙂
Alys (chef)
Broad Table Catering
Thank you for the tip 🙂
Hi Lalaine! I’m a fan of your recipes, and I always check out your site for tips and tricks in cooking. May I ask why there is a need to boil the beef twice, the first one, the liquid is discarded. Can i just boil the beef once together with the onions and other spices? I will be making this beef pares this weekend. Can’t wait! Thanks!
Hello Teng,
I apologize for not responding sooner. I’ve been under the water these couple of days. I feel so bad for not having helped you better with this dish. Your next question on how why the beef broth didn’t turn out clear is because of this step. I blanch the beef first, discarding the first liquid to rid of any blood or impurities that may otherwise cloud the broth. This step usually does the trick but sometimes, I like to go a step further by straining the broth using a cheesecloth.
Can I use a pressure cooker to cook the meat? How long?
Hello Geal
I’ve never used a pressure cooker so I won’t know for sure how long. From what I read, though, the pressure cooker cuts 40 to 60% off cook time so I am assuming 30 to 40 minutes should be ok.
Thanks, I’ll try that and report back
Lalaine, this looks so good. I cannot wait to make this.
Thanks, Shobelyn. I hope your move went well, would love to see your yummy recipes again 🙂
Hi Lalaine!
I cooked this for dinner tonight & my husband & son loved it. This dish is truly a welcome change from the usual nilaga. The beef was tender & the soup tasty. There was some spinach in the ref so I paired the pares ( hehehe) with sautéed spinach with garlic. Delicious! Your recipes are easy to follow and turn out great that’s why I always look forward to your recipes . Thank you!
Hi Rochelle
Aww, thank you much. I am glad the family enjoyed it. Never tried beef pares with spinach before but sounds delicious with healthy benefits as well. 🙂