Kare Kare Recipe: The Traditional Filipino Recipe

If you appreciate the strong taste of Filipino cuisine, then you are in for something good. Kare kare, a traditional Filipino stew, has a taste that is as delicious as its strong. It is a popular dish made with stewed oxtail, beef, or chicken in peanut sauce. It is often served with rice and is a hearty, filling meal. 

Although there are numerous claims about its origins, kare kare is a natural treasure, and the pride of Filipino cuisine. It is a shame that this dish isn’t getting the attention it deserves in the US, especially compared to other Filipino dishes, with lumpia isda being a good example. This is understandable, as its strong taste might not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, we strongly recommend giving kare kare a chance. It requires a good amount of preparation time and know-how in the kitchen, but it makes a great dinner option for those family gatherings that you dread. 

Although our kare kare recipe stays true to the original and uses oxtail, if you are not big on oxtail, don’t worry! There are many different versions of kare kare that swap the somewhat controversial oxtail with pork, ham, or even seafood. The latter even allows you more room to operate, with shrimp, crabs, and squid being the primary choices. The dish also includes a variety of vegetables, which gives you the freedom to choose from among many. 

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Equipment
• Variations
• Tips
• Kare Kare Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

1. The beef

• Oxtail — 2 pounds.
• Vegetable oil — 1 tbsp., preferably canola.
• Salt and pepper — to taste.
• Onion — 1, chopped.

2. The vegetables

• Eggplant — 2 ½ pcs., sliced, preferably Japanese.
• Bok choy — 1 cup, chopped.
• String beans — 1 bundle.
• Garlic cloves — 2, minced.
• Onion — 1, chopped.

3. The rest

• Peanut butter — 1 cup.
• Bagoong alamang — 1 cup, also known as shrimp paste.
• Steamed rice.

Instructions

1. Rinse oxtail under cold water and trim the excess fat. Fill a large pot with enough water, and bring it to a boil, preferably on medium or high heat.

2. Add chopped onions and oxtail, and simmer until it is tender enough, which should take between 2.5 to 3 hours. 

3. After the oxtail is tender, add peanut butter, and simmer for up to 10 minutes.

4. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, and sauté chopped onion and minced garlic until they turn golden brown.

5. Add the eggplant, the bok choy, and string beans. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

6. Combine the cooked vegetables with the now-tender oxtail in a pot. 

7. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8. Serve with steamed rice and bagoong alamang, or shrimp paste in the US.

Equipment

• Measuring spoons and cups.

• Large pot.

• Frying pan.

Variations

• The meat — Not everyone has the stomach for oxtail. It also takes time to become tender enough. Luckily, there are now different types of kare kare that have been gaining popularity. If you’re not having oxtail, you are free to opt for seafood such as shrimp, crabs, and squid. There is even a vegan version of this delicious food, with no meat whatsoever. Another version of it is the pata kare kare, which swaps the oxtail with pig leg or pork hock. 

Tips

• The ingredients — Kare kare is an ethnic food that is authentic in many ways, therefore it is best to stick to the original recipe. However, we all have our tastes, and you can have flexibility to change some aspects of this kare kare recipe.

• The oxtail — If you have decided to go with oxtail, you always have the option of using a pressure cooker, which would lower the time needed to tenderize the meat from 3 hours to approximately 30 minutes.