Kare-Kare — Filipino Oxtail Peanut Stew

About This Recipe

Kare-kare is one of the most celebrated dishes in the Filipino culinary canon — a slow-cooked braise that transforms oxtail into a fall-off-the-bone masterpiece enveloped in a velvety, golden peanut sauce coloured with annatto. The dish is inseparable from its accompaniment, bagoong alamang (fermented shrimp paste), whose funky, briny punch provides the perfect counterpoint to the rich, mild peanut gravy. Kare-kare was traditionally a fiesta dish requiring all-day preparation, but its deep, complex flavours make the effort entirely worthwhile. It is a dish of extraordinary depth and cultural significance.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 kgoxtail(cut into 5 cm segments)
• 200 gbeef tripe(cleaned, cut into strips (optional))
• 200 gChinese eggplant(cut into bite-size pieces)
• 200 gbanana blossom (puso ng saging)(or green jackfruit, halved)
• 100 glong beans (sitaw)(cut into 5 cm pieces)
• 100 gbok choy or pechay
• 150 gsmooth peanut butter
• 50 gtoasted rice flour (or ground toasted rice)(for thickening)
• 2 tbspannatto powder (achuete)(mixed with 3 tbsp water)
• 1 largeonion(chopped)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tbspfish sauce (patis)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 4 tbspbagoong alamang (fermented shrimp paste)(for serving)
• 300 gwhite rice(steamed, for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch and braise the oxtail

   Place oxtail (and tripe if using) in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then drain and rinse thoroughly under cold water — this removes impurities and ensures a clean, clear broth. Return to the pot, cover with fresh water, add half the onion and garlic, and simmer for 3–4 hours until the oxtail is very tender and nearly falling off the bone. Reserve the broth.

   A pressure cooker reduces oxtail cooking time to 45–60 minutes — a significant time saver.

2. 2

   Sauté the aromatics

   In a separate large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté remaining onion until soft, then add garlic and cook 1 minute. Pour in the annatto water and stir — it will immediately colour the oil a beautiful deep orange.

3. 3

   Build the peanut sauce

   Add peanut butter to the sautéed aromatics and stir to combine. Gradually ladle in 600–700 ml of the reserved oxtail broth, stirring constantly until a smooth, creamy sauce forms. Whisk in the toasted rice flour for body. Season with fish sauce. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon.

   Add broth gradually — you can always thin the sauce but thickening it again takes time.

4. 4

   Combine meat and sauce

   Add the braised oxtail pieces to the peanut sauce and simmer together for 15 minutes so the meat absorbs the flavour. Taste and adjust seasoning with fish sauce and salt.

5. 5

   Add and cook the vegetables

   Add banana blossom and eggplant to the simmering stew and cook for 8 minutes. Add long beans and bok choy in the final 3 minutes — they should be just tender, not mushy. Do not overcook the vegetables.

6. 6

   Serve with bagoong

   Ladle kare-kare into deep bowls over steamed white rice. Place a generous spoonful of bagoong alamang alongside — it is not optional. Each bite should combine the rich, mild stew with a tiny amount of the intensely salty, fermented shrimp paste. Without bagoong, kare-kare is incomplete.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian kare-kare: Use a mix of mushrooms, tofu, and additional vegetables — the peanut-annatto sauce stands alone magnificently.

• •

  Seafood kare-kare: Replace oxtail with large shrimp and fish fillets for a lighter version — reduce cooking time to 20 minutes total.

• •

  Crispy kare-kare: Deep-fry the vegetables before adding to the sauce for more textural contrast.

Storage

Kare-kare keeps refrigerated for 4 days and freezes excellently for up to 3 months (freeze without vegetables — add fresh ones when reheating). The peanut sauce thickens considerably when chilled; add extra broth or water when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions