Beef Trinchado

A traditional South African Portuguese dish with Angolan and Mozambican roots, trinchado is the ultimate in soul-warming, winter dishes.

It is usually made with stewing beef and simmered for hours in a rich, spicy gravy, before being served over a bowl of slap chips (fries).

The floury Portuguese rolls for dunking are a must, and you can’t forget a generous splash of your favourite peri peri sauce!

Beef Trinchado

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Course Appetizer, Main Course

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 kg beef cubed
• 2 onions diced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 handful pitted olives
• 2 tbsp peri per sauce or to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cream optional

Instructions

 

• Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the butter and oil. Salt and pepper the beef cubes, and once the butter is sizzling, add the cubes in about 4 to 5 batches and brown well on all sides. Remove the cubes to a bowl and set aside.
• Lower the heat, add the onions, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Sprinkle the flour over and stir until it is fully cooked, about 2 minutes.
• Pour in the stock and brandy. Stir until the sauce thickens.
• Add the bay leaf, olives, peri peri sauce and browned beef cubes, a long with any juices that may have accumulated in the bowl.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is very tender.
• Pour in the cream if using and let it heat through.

Notes

This is a very saucy dish, so serve in big bowls on a bed of slap chips with fresh Portuguese rolls to dunk.

Browning the beef cubes is the most important step and you really want to take your time here. Don’t overcrowd the pan, and really let the cubes brown nicely. This will give you lots of delicious browned bits on the bottom of the pan that you can deglaze with the brandy and stock.