Kare-Kare

Kare-Kare (Filipino Oxtail Peanut Stew)

A classic Filipino oxtail stew braised until tender in a rich, golden peanut sauce thickened with toasted ground rice, served with a side of fermented shrimp paste.

Prep

25 min

Cook

180 min

Total

205 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1500 g (3¼ lb) oxtail, cut into 5 cm / 2 in pieces across the bone
• •2 tbsp vegetable oil, for searing
• •1 large yellow onion, sliced
• •6 cloves garlic, crushed
• •30 g (¼ cup) annatto (achuete) seeds, steeped in 120 ml / ½ cup hot water to extract color; annatto powder is a fine substitute
• •200 g (7 oz) raw peanuts, unsalted, skin-on is traditional; toasted and finely ground
• •60 g (½ cup) jasmine or regular rice, dry-toasted until deep golden, then finely ground
• •10 g (1 tbsp) tiger tail or all-purpose flour, toasted, for light thickening
• •2.5 L (10 cups) water or beef stock, plus more as needed
• •1 large eggplant, cut into 5 cm / 2 in wedges
• •150 g (5 oz) string beans (sitaw), cut into 7 cm / 3 in lengths
• •200 g (7 oz) bok choy or pechay, halved or quartered
• •1 small banana heart (puso ng saging), trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced; omit if unavailable, or substitute 200 g / 7 oz additional eggplant
• •15 g (1 tbsp) fish sauce (patis), to taste
• •bagoong alamang, to taste, fermented shrimp paste, served on the side as the traditional accompaniment

Steps

1. 1 Make the annatto color: pour 120 ml / ½ cup boiling water over the annatto seeds in a small bowl and let steep 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, reserving the orange-red liquid. Discard the seeds.
2. 2 Toast the peanuts in a dry skillet over medium heat 4–5 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and lightly browned. Cool, then grind to a coarse paste or fine meal in a food processor. Set aside.
3. 3 In the same dry skillet, toast the rice over medium heat 6–8 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden brown (it should smell nutty and look darker than uncooked rice). Cool, then grind to a fine powder. Set aside. Toast the flour briefly in the dry pan until just golden and set aside as well.
4. 4 Rinse the oxtail pieces and pat dry. Heat the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the oxtail in batches, turning, until deep brown on all sides, about 8 minutes total per batch. Transfer to a plate.
5. 5 Pour off all but 2 tbsp of fat. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and cook 4 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
6. 6 Return the oxtail and any juices to the pot. Pour in 2.5 L / 10 cups water or stock; it should cover the meat. Bring to a boil, skim the surface, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook 2½–3 hours, or until the oxtail is fork-tender and pulling away from the bone. (For pressure cooker: 45–55 minutes at high pressure after coming up to pressure; release naturally.)
7. 7 Skim excess fat from the surface of the broth (traditional kare-kare is not greasy; remove what you can). Stir in the toasted flour to lightly thicken, then whisk in the ground peanuts, ground toasted rice, and the reserved annatto water. Simmer 5 minutes to thicken and meld.
8. 8 Add the eggplant wedges and simmer 4 minutes, then add the string beans and banana heart and simmer another 3 minutes. Finally, add the bok choy and cook just 1–2 minutes until wilted but still bright green.
9. 9 Season with fish sauce to taste, keeping in mind the bagoong served alongside will add salt. The sauce should be the consistency of heavy cream — thick enough to coat the meat and cling to rice.
10. 10 Ladle the stew into shallow bowls over steamed white rice. Serve the bagoong alamang on the side in a small dish for each person to add to taste.