Kare-Kare
Kare-kare is a Filipino braised stew built around a thick peanut sauce colored deep gold by annatto, with oxtail or beef shank as the primary protein. The sauce comes from ground toasted peanuts thinned with broth and thickened with toasted rice powder — rich and savory but deliberately mild, designed to carry the meat and vegetables rather than dominate them. What gives kare-kare its full character is bagoong — fermented shrimp paste — served on the side and stirred in at the table. Without it the stew is balanced but flat; with it, the salt and ferment animate the sauce entirely. The vegetables — banana blossom, eggplant, and long beans — braise in the peanut sauce until soft, absorbing its fat and deep gold color.
Rich in protein
Filling and nutritious
Can be frozen
Great for meal prep
Slow simmered
Low and slow cooking
Traditional recipe
Authentic taste
Ingredients 4 servings
- 1.2kg oxtail, cut at the joints (or bone-in beef shank)
- 200g unsweetened peanut butter (or 250g roasted peanuts, ground)
- 2 tbsp annatto (achuete) seeds — or 1 tbsp annatto powder
- 4 tbsp raw rice, toasted in a dry pan and ground
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large eggplant, cut into quarters
- 200g long green beans (sitaw), cut into 7 cm lengths
- 1 large bok choy or 200g pechay, halved lengthwise
- 1.5L water (or beef stock)
- 60ml vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
- Bagoong (Filipino shrimp paste), to serve
- Steamed rice, to serve
How to make it
- 1Put the oxtail in a large pot with 1.5L water; bring to a boil, skim the foam, and boil for 5 minutes; drain and rinse the meat for a clear broth.
- 2Return the meat to the pot with 1.5L fresh water (or beef stock) and simmer gently for 2.5–3 hours, until the meat falls almost off the bone; lift out the meat and reserve 1L of the broth.
- 3Steep the annatto seeds in 3 tbsp hot water for 10 minutes, then strain to a deep red-orange liquid (or dissolve the annatto powder directly).
- 4In a clean pot, heat 60ml oil; sauté the onion for 5 minutes, add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- 5Stir in the peanut butter, annatto liquid, and 1L of the reserved broth; whisk to keep it smooth; simmer 5 minutes, then add the toasted ground rice — the sauce will begin to thicken visibly.
- 6Return the meat to the sauce and simmer over low heat for 10–15 minutes, loosening with more broth if it becomes too thick; season with salt (sparingly — the bagoong at the table is very salty).
- 7Add the eggplant quarters and long beans, simmer 5 minutes; lay the bok choy on top, cover, and cook for another 3 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but still vibrant.
- 8Serve in deep bowls over steamed rice, with bagoong in a small bowl alongside — each diner stirs in as much as they like.
Nutritional info
per serving (~400 ml)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
