Description
Champeni is a Batangas beef innards stew with pineapple juice and tomato sauce, bold in flavour and rooted in Batangueño tradition.
Ingredients
Units Scale
For Boiling
- 1 kg beef innards and meat (tripe, intestines, cow skin, tendons, beef chunks), cleaned and cut bite-sized
- 5 cups water (or enough to cover)
- 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
- Salt, to taste
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, julienned
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup pineapple juice (for sweetness and acidity)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce or banana ketchup
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 4 long green chilies, sliced
- 2 red chilies (optional, for heat)
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp annatto powder, diluted in 1/2 cup water
- spring onions, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine beef innards and meat with water, peppercorns, and salt.
- Boil for 1–2 hours until tender, skimming off scum as it rises. Drain and set aside.
- Heat oil in a deep pan or wok.
- Sauté garlic and ginger until fragrant, then add onions. Cook until translucent.
- Toss in the boiled beef pieces and stir-fry for 5–10 minutes until slightly browned.
- Add soy sauce, fish sauce, ground pepper, and bay leaves. Stir well.
- Pour in pineapple juice, tomato sauce, and annatto water.
- Add the chilies, then simmer uncovered for 10–15 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Garnish with spring onions before serving with steamed rice, or as pulutan alongside a cold beer.