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The Filipino Way To Make Beef Stew 10x Better By Javaria Akbar Oct. 20, 2025 6:39 pm EST

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If your homemade beef stew isn't quite on point when it comes to savory flavor, consider elevating it in the Filipino way by adding a dash of soy sauce and some red bell peppers to the simmering pot. While soy sauce is a key seasoning in Chinese cuisine, it's also a mainstay in mechado, a Filipino beef stew made with a tomato base, fermented cane vinegar , and vegetables. Often employed to balance the tanginess of ingredients like vinegar or citrus juice and the warming heat of peppercorns, the meaty quality of soy sauce lends these meals a salty depth and complexity.

The savory personality of soy sauce comes from glutamate. This amino

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