Pares is a popular braised beef dish from the Philippines, often served in small neighborhood restaurants. It is made with tender beef, sweet gravy, and served with garlic fried rice and beef broth soup. The meat is slow-cooked with seasonings such as star anise, garlic, onion, and soy sauce. Variations include thickening the sauce with cornstarch and adding vegetables. It is typically served with a garnish of chopped green onion and can be accompanied by steamed rice or noodles.
Pares, often called beef, is a braised beef dish that originated in the Philippines. It is particularly associated there with small neighborhood restaurants, called carenderias, which specialize in cheap meals for local residents. Very tender beef and sweet seasoned gravy are the hallmarks of this dish. The name means “pairs” and comes from the customary practice of serving it with garlic fried rice and a light beef broth soup. “Pares” is pronounced “pah-res”.
Cuts of beef often recommended for parades include the brisket, chuck, and shanks. The texture of the finished meat should be tender and slightly sticky, so cuts that include ligaments or gristle are usually best. Some recipes call for a whole roast to be cooked, while others start with cubed meat. Both types of meat are browned before being cooked further.
To obtain the very tender meat typical of pares, the meat must be cooked until it is cooked through. A heavy pot can be used slowly to simmer on a stovetop, or it can be placed in a slow cooker. Some recipes recommend a pressure cooker to reduce cooking time.
The meat is slow cooked in water or beef stock along with a variety of seasonings. These may include star anise, garlic and onion, often green or spring onions. Also included are bay leaf, ginger and soy sauce. Rice wine, pepper and cinnamon are other common ingredients. Brown sugar and sesame oil are used to finish the sauce after cooking
There are many variations of the dish. The sauce served in restaurants in the Philippines is often thin, but many recipes thicken the sauce with cornstarch. Dried orange peel is also sometimes included in condiments. Anise powder can be used in place of star anise, and lemon juice can replace wine vinegar. You can add vegetables such as carrots and bok choy.
Pares are typically served with garlic fried rice and a bowl of beef broth soup. It is usually a simple fried rice made by mixing rice and a generous amount of garlic. The soup may include broth from the initial cooking of the meat before adding the ingredients for the sauce. Additional garlic, ginger and onion can be added to deepen the flavor of the soup.
A garnish of chopped green onion is often added to the dish before serving. Sometimes steamed rice is served instead of fried rice, depending on personal preference. Some Filipino restaurants also offer the option of noodles instead of rice as an accompaniment to this dish.
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