Kare-kare (Oxtail Peanut Stew) Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Peanut-based stew commonly eaten with bagoong and vegetables on the side.

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Total Time1 10

Course: Beef

Cuisine: Filipino

Keyword: kare-kare

Servings:

Calories: 1013kcal

Author: Daisy Merano

Heat oil in a pot.
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Sauté garlic and onion.
3 cloves garlic, 1 medium onion
Add the cooked ox tail. Cook for 2 minutes.
2 lbs. oxtail
Pour the beef broth into the pot. Let boil.
2 1/2 cups beef broth
Add the peanuts, peanut butter, and water where the annatto seeds were soaked. Stir. Cover and continue to cook in medium heat for 30 minutes or until the liquid reduces to half.
½ cup ground peanuts, ¼ cup peanut butter, ½ cup annatto seeds
Sprinkle the glutinous rice powder. Stir well until the powder dilutes in the sauce. Cook until the peanut sauce gets thick according to your preference.
1 tablespoon glutinous rice powder
Arrange in a serving bowl. Top with steamed vegetables and serve with shrimp paste. Enjoy!
2 sliced Chinese eggplant, 1 bunch bok choy, 1 bunch string beans cut into short pieces, ½ cup shrimp paste

Thickening the sauce. Glutinous rice powder helps give the sauce a rich consistency without changing the flavor. Sprinkle it gradually while stirring to avoid clumping. If you can’t find this ingredient, plain all-purpose flour works too, though it takes a bit more to thicken.
Peanut options. If you’re using roasted peanuts, grind them fine so they blend well. You can also toast raw peanuts in a dry pan to deepen the flavor before grinding. Don’t use salted peanuts as it throws off the entire flavor of the dish.
Oxtail prep. Trimming excess fat before pressure cooking can help prevent the stew from turning greasy. After pressure cooking, feel free to skim off any extra fat from the broth before adding it to the stew.
Steaming vs boiling vegetables. Always steam the vegetables in a separate pot or basket. Boiling them in the stew may save time, but they tend to lose color and become too soft. Steaming keeps everything bright and tender.
Storing leftovers. Keep the stew and vegetables in separate containers if possible. Reheat the kare-kare over low heat and steam the vegetables again quickly to refresh them without turning them soggy.