Kare-Kare

KARE-KARE

Kare-kare is a Philippine stew complimented with a thick savory peanut sauce. It is made from a base of stewed oxtail (sometimes this is the only meat used), pork hocks, calves feet, pig feet, beef stew meat, and occasionally offal or tripe. Kare Kare can also be made with seafood (prawns, squid, and mussels) or all vegetables. Vegetables, which include (but are not limited to) eggplant, Chinese cabbage, or other greens, daikon, green beans, and asparagus beans are added — usually equaling or exceeding the amount of meats. The stew is flavored with ground roasted peanuts or peanut butter, onions, and garlic. It is colored with annatto (extracted from annatto seeds in oil or water) and can be thickened with toasted or plain ground rice. Other flavorings may be added, but the dish is usually quite plain, compared to other Filipino dishes. Other seasonings are added at the table. Variants may include goat meat or (rarely) chicken. It is often eaten with bagoong (shrimp paste), sometimes spiced with chili, bagoong guisado (spiced and sautéed shrimp paste), and sprinkled with calamansi juice. Traditionally, any Filipino fiesta (particularly in Pampanga region) is not complete without kare-kare. In some Filipino-American versions of the dish, oxtail is exclusively used as the meat. - Wikipedia

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg oxtail
• 1 banana heart, sliced crosswise
• 4 eggplants, cut in one-half inch lengths
• 1/2 cup achuete water
• 1/3 cup rice, toasted in a pan and ground to a powder
• 1/2 cup peanuts, toasted in a pan and ground to a powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

PROCEDURE

1. Clean the oxtail and cut into two-inch pieces.
2. Boil once and discard water.
3. Boil again in five cups water until tender.
4. Add vegetables and when cooked add achuete water.
5. Add the powdered rice and peanuts dissolved in 1 cup broth, cook until sauce is thick.
6. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.
7. Serve with bagoong. Enjoy!