Kare Kare
Rich, comforting, and so delicious. Making this dish was actually my very first exposure to Filipino food -- before then I had never even tried Filipino food, so I had no frame of reference for what this was "supposed" to taste like. I was a bit confused about the flavor profiles at first, but I tried it at a restaurant for reference, made it a second time, and am really pleased with how it turned out!
Active Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 4 hr
Ingredients
> oxtail (2 lb)
> eggplant (1, cut into 1-inch thick pieces)
> string beans (1/2 lb, cut into 3-inch pieces)
> bok choy (1/2 lb, leaves / stems separated)
> rice flour (1/4 cup)
> annatto powder (1.5 tbsp)
> chunky peanut butter (1.5 cups)
> onion (1, thinly sliced)
> garlic (4 cloves, minced)
> fish sauce (2 tbsp)
> salt, pepper to taste
> shrimp paste
Instructions
1. Boil oxtails for several minutes. Drain and remove any excess scum from the oxtail.
2. Simmer the oxtails over medium-low heat for ~3 hours, or until fork tender. Skim off any excess fat or scum. Set aside the oxtails for later. Reserve the broth -- skim off excess fat off the top. Ideally, the broth should reduce down to about ~3-4 cups.
4. Make the rice flour mixture: in a separate bowl, combine rice flour with 1/4 cup water, and whisk until smooth.
5. Make the peanut butter mixture: in a separate bowl, combine peanut butter with 1/2 cup water. Stir well until blended.
6. Make the annatto water: in a separate bowl, combine annatto powder with 1/4 cup water. Whisk until smooth.
7. In a large pot over medium heat: saute onions and garlic for several minutes. Add the oxtail and fish sauce, and cook for ~2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add broth (~3 cups), annatto water, rice flour mixture, peanut butter mixture. Let simmer for ~10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until it starts to slightly thicken.
9. Add the vegetables, and let cook for about 5-10 minutes, or until perfectly cooked through.
10. Season to taste with salt + pepper. Serve hot with some shrimp paste on the side. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> You can probably find annatto powder at general Asian grocery stores, especially those that have more Filipino offerings.
> You'll want to add a LOT of salt. This concoction is really rich, and definitely needs the salt to bring out its flavors.
> Traditionally, I believe this is made with roasted peanuts, but using chunky peanut butter simplifies things dramatically while still producing a similar result.
> The resulting consistency should be fairly thick. I found that using about 3 cups of broth led to a good consistency, but adjust accordingly. You could also try adding a bit more rice flour at the end if you need to thicken things.
> Make sure to stir the mixture frequently once you've added the peanut butter mixture, particularly scraping the bottom. If your pot is not non-stick (like mine), the mixture can start to stick and burn at the bottom.
> At most restaurants, their kare kare will contain much less vegetables -- how much you add is totally up to your personal preference.
> I've also seen some restaurants make their kare kare with tripe, which is a delightful addition. I've only had tripe in the dim-sum context, which is tough and chewy, so I was pleasantly surprised at how tender the tripe was in the kare kare I had recently at Karilagan.