The best thing about the Filipino Picadillo is that it is really simple and easy to make, but still offers our taste buds something extravagant and festive.
If you want a dish which can be done any day of the week, the picadillo will surely not disappoint. This is a type of dish you can cook as a family serving, even if you’re living alone since you can always store it in the refrigerator and then reheat it the next day, and you’ll still be eating the picadillo as if it’s freshly cooked.
Continue to read on below this recipe article for some trivia and some tips and tricks on how to cook the best picadillo and add this to your recipe arsenal!
What is Filipino Picadillo?
Picadillo has become a famous dish here in the Philippines. It is traditionally made out of ground beef, mixed with fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce, and partnered with a number of ingredients such as potatoes, carrots, some green peas, and some raisins.
Some variations add other spices such as chili peppers, for that additional spicy kick. The Filipino style is usually served with a nice and warm white rice.
This popular dish originated in Spain, and the word Picadillo comes from the Spanish word picar which literally means ‘to mince’.
The dish was passed to Filipinos due to cultural influences during the period of the Spanish colonization. It has since then changed and adapted to what is known to be the Filipino-style Picadillo we love today.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Beef
In this recipe, we will use ground beef as the main ingredient. If you’re looking for an alternative to beef, try using ground pork or a combination of both. For a leaner protein option, consider using ground chicken or turkey meat.
Raisins
If you’re looking to add some natural sweetness to your dish, try incorporating raisins. However, if raisins aren’t your thing, don’t worry – you can always swap them out for honey to achieve the same effect.
Tomato
Tomato sauce can be added in the recipe–if you want to have a more saucy version of the picadillo, or what is called a stew.
In this recipe, we use a broth for the picadillo which gives us a kind of a ‘soupy’ version. Any type of picadillo is acceptable, however. It is up to you whether you like the version with the tomato sauce or the version without the tomato sauce.
For the diced tomatoes, there are commercially available canned ones which you can buy at your local stores or at the supermarkets or groceries.
It will make the preparation of the ingredients for the picadillo much easier and you can use the natural juice of the tomatoes that comes with it as part of the cooking process, for additional flavor.
Aside from these, you will also use regular pantry ingredients like onion, garlic, potato, carrot, green peas, green olives, black pepper, and cooking oil. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Cooking Pan (Kawali)- We will do a simple stewing to cook this dish and you will be needing a regular kawali or cooking pan to do this. You can also use any pan or skillet deep enough to contain the liquids involved in this recipe.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How to Cook Filipino Picadillo
Cooking picadillo is not that hard to grasp. If you want to cook this delicious dish, let’s break down the process by breaking down the whole procedure into two: First, you need to prepare the ingredients by cutting them into small serving sizes.
And then next, you need to cook all of these in one large cooking pan. It’s just a matter of adding the ingredients one by one.
When preparing the cuts for the ingredients, make sure that they are equal in sizes. This way, the time needed for the ingredients to be cooked will be equal and nothing will be left raw or undercooked.
If you want to save time, there are some stores or supermarkets which offer readily cut ingredients so you might want to check on that.
Cooking Tips
- For uniform cooking time, cut your potatoes and carrots into equal sizes.
- Soak your raisins in warm water for about an hour before cooking to get a softer, juicier and less sweet taste.
How to Serve Filipino Picadillo
Picadillo is served warm as lunch or dinner, with freshly cooked white rice. You also have the option to make this a filling for pandesal or stuff your breakfast omelet with this.
How to Store and Reheat Filipino Picadillo
In case you have leftovers, transfer to a clean food container with lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat (defrost first when frozen), you can use a microwave oven. Set at high for 3 minutes. You can also warm it in a pan, and reheat over a stovetop.
Other Filipino Beef Recipes
- Bistek Tagalog (Pinoy Beef Steak) Recipe
- Beef Mechado (Mechadong Baka) Recipe
- Beef Caldereta (Kalderetang Baka) Recipe
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Filipino Picadillo Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pan
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) ground beef
- 1 pc medium-sized onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pc medium-sized potato, cut into cubes
- 1 pc large-sized carrot, cut into cubes
- 2 cups tomatoes, diced
- ½ cup green peas
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup green olives, pitted
- 1 cup beef broth, (or water)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
- In a large skillet or cooking pan, pour-in and heat oil over medium heat.
- Add-in the chopped onion, and minced garlic. Saute until soft and aromatic.
- Add-in the ground beef. Cook until lightly browned.
- Add-in the diced tomatoes, raisins, and pour-in the beef broth. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add-in the cubed potatoes, cubed carrots, green olives, and green peas. Stir and cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving plate or serving tray. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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