Heartily Didikitid

The recipe for today is heartily didikitid (dedicated hehehe!) to our friend Precy who has been asking for this for the longest time. This is a standard Tagalog dish made with lots of fresh chopped tomatoes. I remember my aunt used to chop the tomatoes together with the onion and she would do it very very finely almost like it went through a mincer (grinder). Pork can also be used instead of the usual chicken.

Afritada

1 kilo chicken or pork - chopped to serving size pieces
2 Tbsp oil
2-3 cloves garlic - minced or mashed
1 large onion - chopped finely (about 2/3 cups)
3 large tomatoes - chopped finely (about 1 1/3 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp double concentrate tomato puree (tomato paste)
1 cup water
1 red bell pepper - deseeded and sliced lengthwise
2 medium sized potatoes - sliced into 1/2 inch thick
150 gm french beans - topped, tailed and cut in half crosswise (or 1/2 cup frozen peas)

1. Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic and onion for about 2 minutes or until onion becomes translucent.
2. Add tomatoes and salt and saute for a further 2 minutes or until the tomatoes are half cooked.
3. Add soy sauce, mix a little then add the chicken. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes mixing it every once in a while.
4. Add water and tomato puree. Bring to a boil.
5. Add bell pepper and bring heat down to a simmer.
6. Simmer for about 25 minutes (for pork - about 1 1/2 hours) or until meat is done/tender.
7. Add potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Add french beans or peas and simmer for another 5 minutes or until potatoes and beans are cooked. Serve.