Kare - Kare

Almost anything can be into a Kare-Kare from beef to fish or if you're a vegan, just all veggies. When I was a kid, I hate Kare-Kare for the reason that my granny uses cow innards to make the dish. I also hate the bagoong which always makes me itchy. But as time passes, I became fond of this very Pinoy dish. I love everything Kare-Kare. I also love the bagoong now and I'm always experimenting on it. You can make Kare-Kare with beef, ox tail, pig knuckles or if you're adventurous, you can try the recipe below. It calls for cow intestines and other cow parts. Some say that cooking Kare-Kare is hard but really, it's not that intimidating. The only hard part is cleaning and tenderizing the meat. After that, it's a breeze.

Kare - Kare

What you'll need:

1/2 kilo cow intestines

1/2 kilo ox tripe

1/2 kilo ox face mask

1/2 cup ground peanuts or peanut butter

1/4 cup ground sticky rice

1 bundle string beans(sitaw), cut into 2" long

1 bundle pechay

2 med eggplants, sliced into rounds

1 med banana heart, sliced into rounds

annatto oil

Bagoong Alamang

What you'll need:

1 cup shrimp paste

2 tbsp garlic, minced

2 tbsp onion, chopped

2-3 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

cooking oil

How to:

1. First of all, thoroughly clean the intestines, tripe and face mask by scraping it with the back a knife. Make sure you take out all undesirables. 

2. In a large stock pot, boil the pre-cleaned ingredients until all are tender. If you have a pressure cooker, the better but I like to slow-cook everything. This usually takes around 3-5 hours on a stock pot depending on the maturity of the ox.

3. When tender, take out all the meat.

4. Add the peanut butter and sticky rice. Adjust the taste and consistency to your liking. It unnecessary to add salt because of the bagoong.

5. Add the annatto oil for color and adjust to your desired color.

6. Then add the vegetables but leave the pechay for last for it cooks faster. When all the other veggies are done, add the pechay and turn off heat. Cover and done.

7. For the bagoong, heat some oil in a small pan. Sauté onion and garlic until golden.

8. Add shrimp paste and sauté. 

9. Pour in vinegar and let it cook until vinegar vaporizes. You can add a small amount of water to prevent burning.

10. Add the rest of the ingredients and adjust the taste to your liking but don't make it too sweet. You can add chilies if you like it hot and spicy. 

11. Serve with Kare-Kare and enjoy!