Enjoy this authentic Kare Kare recipe for Filipino oxtail stew in a delicious peanut sauce. This popular dish is prepared on special occasions like birthdays and family gatherings. For a boost of flavor, serve it with a fermented shrimp paste called bagoong.
While I’m visiting my family in Japan, I have asked several blogger friends to blog-sit for me and today’s sitter is Raymund from Ang Sarap (A Tagalog word for “It’s Delicious”). He’s my last guest blogger during my trip.
I told Raymund once that if I ever become a billionaire (not a millionaire haha), I would want to hire him as my private chef. The main reason why I said that is because he posts delicious food almost every day. They are not just Filipino dishes but include many other international recipes as well. When you visit his blog and see the category list on the right-hand side, you will immediately see the cuisine’s names there. As of today, he has made dishes from 55 different countries. Me? Maybe less than 8-10 if “non-authentic” recipes count!
Since I started blogging, I learned that my Filipino food blogger friends (male and female) are passionate about food, just like Ray whom I introduced to you last week. That’s probably the reason why we don’t see too many Filipino restaurants even in a big city; they are all cooking at home for the family!
Now please welcome Raymund with a popular Filipino stew called Kare Kare.
*****
This is my third time to guest post. I know it is not a lot but there is a popular saying which is “third time lucky” and indeed that true as I am invited in this blog. It’s definitely one of my favorite food blog sites around. So let me first tell something about me before the recipe that I will be sharing.
Well my name is Raymund and I am the person behind the blog called Ang Sarap (A Tagalog word for “It’s Delicious”). I am a Software Developer / Architect by profession. My passion is to cook, travel, and take photographs (isn’t that the best combination). I’ve been cooking since I was 7 years old and since then I have been cooking my family dinners. I’ve traveled a bit and lived in different countries due to my profession. Hence I have a good grasp of local the different cuisines which is very evident on my blog.
The blog is nearly two years now. It has a good reception in the food blog circle as well as Filipino communities around the world. It showcases dishes basically from everywhere but with Filipino, Spanish and Chinese twists which are the primary influence in Philippine cuisine. The goal of my blog is to educate people about what the Philippines has to offer in terms of culinary arts. As I said in my past posts why the Philippines is the only Asian country without an identity or even representation. What I mean by that is you have the Malaysian, Singaporean, Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese and Thai. But, where are the Philippines, it is even known? That’s what I want to change, and I hope I can start with this blog. Now I guess that’s enough about me. If you want to know further please follow my blog. Start learning about what you are missing if you haven’t tried Filipino dishes yet.
For this guest post, I was thinking of introducing something very uniquely Filipino. It was hard choosing it. I don’t want to present something that might be already popular like the Adobo or a dish that might be Filipino but tastes something similar in other neighboring countries like Sinigang. So after several sleepless nights, I think Kare-Kare might be a good dish to showcase. I never had tasted or seen something like this elsewhere.
Kare-Kare is a popular stew in the Philippines that is served on special occasions like Feast Days (fiesta), Birthdays, and family gatherings. The dish’s defining ingredient is its peanut sauce. This is made out of peanut butter, ground toasted rice and annatto seed extract this is then cooked with a variety of local vegetables and meat (usually oxtail or ox tripe). It’s a bit pale in taste compared to other rich Philippine dishes. That’s why it is often always accompanied with a salty shrimp paste called bagoong.
This dish probably had originated from Pampanga as it is really popular there. Every household in the said province offer this as their specialty and have their own better versions that stand out among the others. There are also some suggestions that it originated from the Southern island of Mindanao where this dish is popular as well. It was said that this is one of the regal dishes of the Moro elite who settled in Manila even before the Spanish arrival. Another suggestion says that it has a Japanese influence. The name “Kare-Kare” is derived from the Japanese word “Kare” which is a Japanese word for a curry. So where this dish did really came from? Well, I don’t really know. But, most experts say it was from Pampanga also called the culinary capital of the Philippines.
I guess this is not for everyone due to a lot of people have allergies to nuts. Also,if you don’t have one you might freak out with the part of beef used. But if you are adventurous in food, this is a must-try! Especially for those who love peanut butter, you will feel good about this dish.
{Facebook} : {Twitter} : {Feed}
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Kare Kare
Ingredients
For the Stew
- 2.2 lbs oxtails
- 1 red onions (diced)
- 1 whole garlic (minced)
- 4 cups beef stock/broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup unsalted peanut butter
- ¼ cup ground toasted rice
- ¼ cup annatto seeds (soaked in ½ cup boiling water)
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- neutral oil
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the Vegetables
- 3 pieces eggplant (sliced)
- 1 bundle string beans (sliced)
- 1 bunch baby bok choy
Instructions
- To a pot, add neutral oil and sauté 1 red onions (diced) and 1 whole garlic (minced). When the onions turn translucent, remove the onions and garlic to a plate and set aside.
- Using the same pot, add 2.2 lbs oxtails and brown them on all sides.
- Add the sautéed onion and garlic back to the pot. Then, pour 4 cups beef stock/broth and 1 cup water into the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 1½ hours or until the meat is tender (add more water if needed).
- Turn of the heat. Remove the oxtail from the pot, leaving all the liquid, and set the oxtail aside.
- Add 3 Tbsp brown sugar, ¼ cup ground toasted rice, 1 cup unsalted peanut butter, and the water from soaking ¼ cup annatto seeds into the pot. Mix thoroughly until it’s even in consistency. Turn on the heat to medium, then let it boil.
- Once the sauce is boiling, turn the heat to low. Add the oxtail and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with a dash of Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Now, cook the vegetables separately by blanching 1 bundle string beans, 3 pieces eggplant, and 1 bunch baby bok choy.
- Pour the stew into individual deep bowls and add the cooked vegetables on the side. Serve with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste).
I have to admit that I had to look up annatto seeds. 🙂 The description said that the flavor was sweet and peppery, which is my favorite taste combination! Ox tail, peanut butter and rice – that’s a new one on me. It sounds delicious especially with all of the other flavors and veggies that you add. A beautiful recipe! Thanks for introducing it to me, and Nami – thanks for introducing us to Raymund!
Actually annatto does not give much flavour unless you use heaps, Filipinos use this just for colour so a normal orange food colour can be used if you cant find annatto.
Nice to see the classic Filipino “Kare-Kare” featured on your blog, Nami! This is one of our favorite family dishes because it is an all-in-one meal. I love the peanut flavors and most esp. the “bagoong” that accompanies it. Good choice for this guest post, Raymund! Thanks for sharing. See you soon on the networks, Nami!
Who does not love bagoong specially with mangoes , mmmmm!
Thank you Nami for introducing us to another great blogger!! This is a wonderful guest post! I really love this dish. 🙂
PS… check out my post from today… why because you deserve one!! 🙂
What an exciting dish! I would love to give this one a try.
Nami, I hope you and the family are having a great time visiting the parentals!
Raymund, you do not disappoint, another wonderful recipe and photo that makes it look like you can dig right in…mmm, peanut sauce. 🙂
That’s a great looking dish and one I haven’t heard of before. I don’t have a problem with nuts and ox tail is a fairly common ingredient around here (Sydney) so this is something I would be only too happy to make. Thanks for introducing me to a great Filipino recipe.
You are much welcome, hope you like it
This looks delicious! We used to have oxtail soup all the time when I was a kid. Oxtails are hard to find now and cost and arm and a leg. Great post and thanks for being here. See ya soon Nami!
Same here oxtail is expensive, if you find it pricey like what I suggested to Adora you can use beef neck bones
Awesome recipe Raymund! I love oxtail and this is certainly a new way for me to try it.
🙂 Mandy
Great to see you – and all your wonderful experience. Another beautiful dish. Thank you!
A great guest post and dish! This kare kare looks and sounds ever so scrumptious.
Cheers,
Rosa
have a nice trip back to Japan 🙂
Latest: World Best Sandwich 2012
What a gorgeous treat! The flavors are just wonderful.
It is so nice to see Filipino food in a Japanese blog. Ang Sarap is one blog that makes me terribly home sick and desperately hungry. Just look at that kare kare! I rarely cook this because it is hard to find oxtail. It is one dish that one can’t dislike. Have you had bagoong, Nami? It is the essential condiment for this dish and it just would’t right without it. Continue to enjoy your holiday, Nami.
Usually when I have hard time finding for some oxtail, I resort to Beef Neck Bones they are nearly the same in texture or even if you are a bit adventurous you can also try beef tripe but I guess that would be harder to find 🙂
Nice! Looking forward to your return.
Why not millionaire? I think that’s easily achievable by you HA!
Anyways thanks for inviting me to guest post, it is certainly my pleasure