Kare-Kare
Oxtail braised long and slow in a peanut and toasted-rice sauce colored with annatto, always served with fermented shrimp paste on the side — not optional, it's the umami counterpoint the sauce is built to need.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Peanut, Shellfish. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs oxtail, cut into pieces
- 8 cups water
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup ground toasted rice
- 2 tbsp annatto seeds, soaked in 1/4 cup water
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 eggplant, sliced
- 1 bunch string beans, cut into pieces
- 1 banana blossom, sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp oil
- Salt, to taste
- Bagoong alamang (fermented shrimp paste), to serve
Steps
- Simmer the oxtail in the water until very tender, about 2 to 2.5 hours. Reserve the broth.
- Heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic until fragrant.
- Strain the annatto soaking liquid into the pot for color, then stir in the peanut butter and ground toasted rice.
- Add enough of the reserved oxtail broth to reach a thick, saucy consistency, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Return the oxtail to the sauce and add the eggplant, string beans, and banana blossom, simmering until the vegetables are tender.
- Season with salt and serve with steamed rice and bagoong alamang on the side.