Kare-Kare: Oxtail in Peanut Sauce

Name: Kare-Kare: Oxtail in Peanut Sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 180 min
Yield: 8 portions
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 2 kg · 4½ lb oxtail, or beef shank; 200 g · ¾ cup peanut butter, unsweetened; 300 g · 2 small eggplant, sliced; 300 g · 2½ cups string beans, cut; 300 g · 2 bunch pechay (bok choy); 40 g · 2½ tbsp annatto paste (atsuete); 40 g · 10 cloves garlic, minced; 300 g · 2 onions onions, chopped; 40 g · ¼ cup toasted ground rice, to thicken; 3 l · 13 cups water; 30 ml · 2 tbsp fish sauce; 120 g · ½ cup sautéed shrimp paste (bagoong), to serve

🍽 Serves 8⏱ Prep 30 min🔥 Cook 180 min🌍 Filipino

Tender oxtail and vegetables in a thick, golden peanut sauce, served with bagoong on the side.

📍 Pampanga · Philippines

The story of the dish

Kare-kare is a centrepiece of Kapampangan cooking in Pampanga and of Filipino fiestas; its origin stories range from pre-colonial Moro cooking to Indian sepoys in 18th-century Manila.

The name: Kare-kare is often linked to 'kari' (curry), though the dish has no curry spices.

Ingredients

Ingredient	EUg · ml	UScups · spoons
oxtail or beef shank	2 kg	4½ lb
peanut butter unsweetened	200 g	¾ cup
eggplant sliced	300 g	2 small
string beans cut	300 g	2½ cups
pechay (bok choy)	300 g	2 bunch
annatto paste (atsuete)	40 g	2½ tbsp
garlic minced	40 g	10 cloves
onions chopped	300 g	2 onions
toasted ground rice to thicken	≈ 40 g	≈ ¼ cup
water	≈ 3 l	≈ 13 cups
fish sauce	≈ 30 ml	≈ 2 tbsp
sautéed shrimp paste (bagoong) to serve	≈ 120 g	≈ ½ cup

≈ amount suggested from similar recipes

Tools & equipment

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Also used: heavy pot · pressure cooker (optional) · wooden spoon · saucepan

Method

Boil the oxtail briefly, drain and rinse to remove scum.
Simmer the oxtail in fresh water for 2.5 to 3 hours until very tender; keep the broth.
Sauté the garlic and onion, add the annatto paste and the oxtail.
Add about 1 litre of broth and the peanut butter and stir until smooth; thicken with the toasted ground rice.
Season with fish sauce and simmer 10 minutes.
Blanch the eggplant, string beans and pechay separately and arrange them over the stew.
Serve with steamed rice and bagoong on the side.

👨‍🍳 Chef’s tips

Keep the sauce lightly seasoned: the salty bagoong on the side seasons each bite.

📱 Scan to watch me cook ityoutu.be/QLsOlN3VLT4Every step on video, and new recipes every week: subscribe on YouTube.

Nutrition per portion estimate · 1 of 8

690kcal

48 gprotein

20 gcarbs

46 gfat

Allergens

CrustaceansFishPeanutsMilk

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▶ Watch me cook it: youtu.be/QLsOlN3VLT4

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