Ropa Vieja
Beef simmered until it falls into threads, finished with peppers, cumin and a splash of sour orange.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 150 min
- Total
- 170 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Course
- Main course
Ingredients
- Flank steak1 kg
- Sour orange juice100 ml
- Onion, sliced2
- Bell peppers, sliced2
- Tomato purée400 g
- Ground cumin2 tsp
Preparation
- 1
Simmer the beef in salted water with aromatics for 2 hours until it shreds easily.
- 2
Shred the meat and reserve a ladle of the broth.
- 3
Cook onion and peppers slowly until sweet, add cumin and tomato, then the beef and broth.
- 4
Simmer 20 minutes and finish with sour orange juice.
Nutrition
Nutrition per serving · Calculated
- calories
- 392 kcal
- protein
- 38 g
- carbs
- 16 g
- fat
- 18 g
- fiber
- 3.2 g
- sugars
- 8 g
- sodium
- 660 mg
Sour Orange
Caribbean PantryThe marinade acid of the Hispanic Caribbean and Haitian kitchens.
- Origin
- Southeast Asia via Spain to the Antilles
- Flavour
- Sharp, floral, bitter-edged acidity
- Calories / 100g
- 37 kcal
- Seasonality
- December to April
The story behind this ingredient
From Cuban mojo to Haitian epis, sour orange tenderises and perfumes. Where it is unavailable, cooks blend lime with regular orange to rebuild the same balance.
This ingredient means something to them
Marie-Lourdes Jean
Haiti · Epis and Haitian slow cooking
“Pikliz taught me that heat is patience, not violence.”
Meet the chef
Ricardo Méndez
Cuba · Criollo cooking and mojo
“Sour orange is the first thing I smell when I think of home.”
Meet the chefWant to go further?
You discovered the ingredient. Now learn how to master it.
Pikliz & Epis: the Haitian base
Build the two preparations every Haitian kitchen keeps ready, and learn how to store them.
- Sun, 27 Sept 2026, 17:30 · 120 min
- Online · Online · $35
