Filipino Kare Kare (Ox Tail and Peanut Stew)

4.84 from 12 votes

Filipino Kare Kare (Ox Tail and Peanut Stew)

Kare Kare (Filipino Oxtail Stew) - this delicious stew is made in the Philippines using a savory peanut sauce, oxtail, and vegetables. Try it at home today.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Additional Time3

Total Time3 35

Course: Beef

Cuisine: Filipino Recipes

Keyword: Filipino Kare Kare, Ox Tail and Peanut Stew

Servings: people

Author: Bee Yinn Low

Ingredients

Ox Tail

2 lbs (1kg) ox tail
1 lb (500g) beef round or short ribs
sea salt
2 large onions
2 medium carrots
1 stick celery
8 cups water

Sauce and Vegetables

2 ½ cups whole peanuts
1/3 cup Jasmine rice
2 onions
4 tbsp annatto oil please see note
2 Japanese eggplants
¼ bundle string beans
1 piece banana bud or heart
6 calamansi

To Serve

2 garlic cloves
1 shallot
1/3 cup bagoong fermented shrimp paste

Instructions

To cook the meat

Heat a large Dutch oven or deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the meat on all sides with salt. Add the oil to the pan and brown the meat. While the meat is browning, peel and roughly chop the onions, carrots, and celery. Once the meat has browned on both sides, transfer it to a plate and set aside.
Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and brown the vegetables. Once golden, add the seared beef back to the pan. Cover the ingredients with water, just enough to cover the meat. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat, cover, and cook for about 3 to 5 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender. At this point, scoop out the meat and transfer it to a plate. Strain out the other ingredients. Allow the stock to cool, then place both the stock and the meat in the fridge, covered, before proceeding with the recipe the following day.

To prepare the other ingredients

First, remove the fat from the surface of the beef stock and bring it to a gentle simmer. Next, toast the peanuts in a large pan, stirring occasionally, until they are light golden brown. Allow the nuts to cool, then process them in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer the ground peanuts to a bowl.
Next, grind the raw rice in a spice grinder and toast it in a pan until lightly golden brown. Transfer it to a bowl with the ground peanuts. Add enough of the hot stock to form a paste, and set aside.

To prepare the vegetables

Peel and chop the onion. Slice the eggplants into 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick pieces on a bias, cut the string beans into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces, and cut the banana bud in half lengthwise, then into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces crosswise. Soak the cut banana heart in water with a little vinegar. Finally, juice the calamansi.

To prepare the bagoong

Peel and thinly slice the garlic and shallots. Heat oil in a pan over low heat and add the sliced garlic and shallots, cooking until soft. Add the bagoong and cook until the mixture is fragrant. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

To cook the Kare Kare

Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and sweat the onions, adding the salt. Cook until the onions are soft. Add 5 cups of the simmering stock and the peanut mixture, stirring with a whisk until combined. Then add the beef and let it simmer for 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
Next, add the eggplant, string beans, and banana heart, and cook until the vegetables are tender. If the mixture is too thick, add more water. Add the calamansi juice, then season with salt to taste. Allow to simmer for another 2 minutes before removing from heat. To serve the Kare Kare, ladle the dish into a bowl and serve with plain steamed rice and bagoong.

Notes

Recipe by Divina Pe from sense-serendipity.com

Atsuete Oil (Annato oil)

To prepare annato oil, simply combine ¼ cup of annato seeds and 1 cup grapeseed or rice bran oil. Heat up the mixture and turn off the heat and allow to sit for 1 hour. Strain the oil through a glass container and discard the annato seeds. Another option is to combine 1 tablespoon of annato seeds in ½ cup of hot water, and let it sit an hour. Then press the seeds with a spoon to extract the color. Strain the mixture and discard the seeds.

If you happen to use oxtail with the skin on and you’re not searing it, blanch them first to remove the impurities. When the water has come to boil, drain the ox tail and wash in cold water. Wash the pot and fill with some freshly cold water and add the ox tail back. Bring to a boil and simmer with 1onion (roughly chopped) and few slices of ginger).

For maximum peanut flavor, make sure to toast or roast the peanuts very well. You can also use peanut butter but make sure to get a really good quality peanut butter. You can use a combination of good quality smooth peanut butter and freshly ground roasted peanuts.

Some recipes would call for vegetables to be cooked separately before adding to the dish. In some restaurants, the three components are served almost separately by ladling the sauce first before arranging the vegetables and the ox tail on top of the sauce.

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