Beef Kare-Kare

A thick peanut sauce coating tender pieces of oxtail. The contrast between the rich meat and crunchy green vegetables is heightened by the salty punch of shrimp paste.

• Prep time: 40 min
• Cook time: 180 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 1196
• Protein: 80 g
• Carbs: 45 g
• Fat: 69 g

Ingredients

• 1 kg Oxtail ( cut into segments )
• 500 g Beef tripe ( cleaned and cut into strips )
• 200 g Peanut butter ( creamy style )
• 100 g White rice ( toasted and ground to powder )
• 2 piece Eggplant (aubergine) ( thickly sliced )
• 200 g Green bean ( trimmed )
• 2 piece Bok choy ( cut into quarters )
• 1 piece Onion ( sliced )
• 4 piece Garlic ( minced )
• 2 tbsp Peanut oil ( for frying )
• 2 tbsp shrimp paste ( served as a side condiment )
• 2 tbsp Annatto seeds ( infused in a bit of hot broth and strained )

Instructions

1. Cooking the meat

   Place the oxtail and tripe in a large pot of mineral water. Bring to a boil, skim off impurities. Simmer on low heat until the meat is fork-tender.

2. Roasting the rice

   In a dry pan, roast the white rice until golden brown and fragrant. Grind into a fine powder using a mortar or blender.

3. Sauce base and coloring

   Infuse the annatto seeds in half a cup of hot broth for 5 minutes, then strain to keep only the orange liquid. Sauté the chopped onion and crushed garlic in oil. Add the annatto liquid, peanut butter, and two ladles of cooking broth. Mix until smooth.

4. Thickening and vegetables

   Stir in the toasted rice powder to thicken. Add the eggplants, beans, and pak choi. Cook for 5 minutes: the vegetables should remain crisp-tender.

Chef's tips

• Don't discard the cooking broth, it's packed with gelatin for a glossy sauce.
• Shrimp paste (bagoong) shouldn't be cooked in the stew, place it on the side of the plate to season each bite.

Storage

Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. The sauce will set, reheat gently with a splash of water to loosen the texture.