Kare-Kare!

    

  Kare-kare is a traditional Filipino dish, it is created using different kinds of meat, either tripe, goat meat, pork's leg or oxtail that is then mixed with a peanut butter sauce as a base with vegetables. This dish is very well-known in Northern part of the Philippines. The Visayan region, where I come from is in the central part of the Philippines, so we didn't usually have this as a meal when I was growing up. But when I moved here in the States, I came to realize that I also need to introduce my husband to a wide variety of Filipino dishes, and that would mean creating food outside my comfort level (which is not a problem). I believe that all Filipino cooks takes extra pride in their cooking. The food that we put on our plate shows so much love and so much soul. Every meal is a blessing to a Filipino.

      Now my advice is to start setting up your karaoke machine for some serious singing as this will take a good 3 hours to cook (lol) and make sure to have fun cooking and singing!

Ingredients:

3 lbs oxtail

1 large Chinese eggplant (sliced)

1 bunch string beans (cut into 2 inches)

1 bundle of bok choy

1 large onion (quartered)

½ cup freshly ground peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

1 Tbsp Annatto powder (can be found in your local asian market)

Kosher salt and Pepper

Procedure:

      In a big pot place oxtail and cover with water over high heat. Add in onion and generous amount of kosher salt and pepper. Let the oxtail simmer for 2:45 hours or until it is tender. Keep your eye on the simmering oxtail, checking it once in a while and making sure that the oxtail is not sticking in the pot and feel free to add water if necessary to prevent it from reducing to much.

1. When the oxtail is tender enough, take it out of the pot and set aside.
2. Adjust the heat to medium high, using the same pot, add string beans and eggplant in the broth and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Avoid over cooking the veggies. After simmering set aside!
3. After the veggies, add the bok choy to the same pot and let it simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Set aside!
4. Put in Annatto powder, stirring occasionally until it is completely dissolved in the broth.
5. Add freshly ground peanut butter and creamy peanut butter in the Annatto mixture.
6. Place the the oxtail and vegetables back into the large pot and let it simmer for 2 more minutes over low heat. Salt and pepper to taste!
7. Serve over steamed rice!
8. Enjoy

-Love-