Slow-Cooked Kare Kare
Slow-Cooked Kare Kare is a well-loved Filipino dish known for its rich flavors and creamy peanut sauce.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 1180kcal
Equipment
- Crock Pot
- Large pot for blanching
- tongs
Ingredients
- 4 lbs ox tail
- water
Kare Kare Sauce
- 1½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil you can use annatto oil if you have one available
- 1 tbsp Annatto Powder
- 3 cups Broth
- 2 tbsp fish sauce I used Rufina Patis
- ½ cup onion
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
Cooked Vegetables
- 2 pieces Bok choy leaves
- Shrimp Paste
- String Beans optional
- Eggplant
- 10 cups water
Instructions
Preparing the Oxtail
- Thoroughly clean the oxtail under cold running water, removing all impurities.
- Place the oxtail in the crock pot, add enough water to cover it, and cook the meat in the crock pot on Hi for two hours. Or you can set the crock pot on low and cook for eight hours.
- Skim off the scum. Remove the meat, and don’t discard the broth you will use this for later.
Crafting the Peanut Sauce
- In a separate pan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat. Add the annato powder and let the oil turn orange. Add the garlic and onions, sautéing until they turn golden brown and release their aromatic flavors.
- Add the creamy peanut butter. Keep stirring so as not to burn the peanut butter at the bottom of the cooking pan.
- Slowly add the broth to prevent lumps from forming. Add less or more broth depending on how thick you want your Kare Kare. In this recipe, I used a total of three cups of broth.
Assembling the Kare-Kare
- Transfer the cooked oxtail from the pot into the pan with the peanut sauce, ensuring they are fully coated.
- Add the blanched vegetables to the pan, gently mixing them with the meat and sauce.
- Simmer the mixture over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together.
- Season Accordingly. Add salt and pepper and adjust the taste according to your liking. Add more beef broth if needed.
How to blanch the Vegetables
- Wash the vegetables thoroughly under running water to remove any dirt or debris. Trim off any tough stems or woody parts if necessary.
- Boil ten cups of water in a large pot. Once the water boils, add the vegetables to the pot. Ensure that the water covers the vegetables completely.
- Allow the vegetables to blanch in the boiling water for a brief period, about three minutes.
- While the vegetables are blanching, prepare a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the veggies from the water.
- After the blanching time, quickly transfer the vegetables from the pot and immediately submerge them into the bowl of ice water. This rapid cooling process, known as "shocking," helps to halt the cooking process and preserve the vibrant color and crispness of the vegetables.
- Allow the vegetables to sit in the ice water for a few minutes until completely cool.
- Once cooled, remove the vegetables from the ice water and drain them well. They are now ready to be used for your Kare Kare