Kare-kare is one of the defining dishes of Filipino cuisine: a slow-braised oxtail stew in a thick peanut sauce, served with the fermented shrimp paste bagoong alamang that is not an optional garnish but a structural counterweight: the rich, sweet peanut sauce and the intensely salty, funky bagoong exist in necessary tension, and the dish is incomplete without both. It originates in the Pampangan kitchen tradition of central Luzon; a region celebrated as the culinary heartland of the Philippines; and is considered a festive dish, served at fiestas, family celebrations, and Sunday lunches. The peanut arrived in the Philippines via the Manila Galleon trade (1565–1815), which connected Acapulco in New Spain with Manila on an annual voyage and brought American crops; peanuts, sweet potatoes, corn, tomatoes; across the Pacific. Chinese Fujian traders resident in Manila's Parián (the Chinese quarter established by the Spanish in 1594) carried peanuts onward to Fujian, making Manila a second gateway through which the peanut entered China. The Pampangans adapted the new legume brilliantly: toasted and ground, peanuts become the sauce itself, thickened further with toasted ground rice and coloured a deep orange with annatto (atsuete) seeds. The dish is eaten with white rice, and the bagoong is always on the table.
Ingredients
Meat
1.2 kg oxtail, cut into 5cm pieces (ask your butcher to cut it), or a mix of oxtail and ox tripe
Peanut Sauce
200 g raw peanuts, shelled, or 180g natural peanut butter (100% peanuts)
3 tbsp toasted ground rice (toast raw white rice in a dry pan until golden, then grind, this is the traditional thickener)
1 tbsp annatto (atsuete) seeds, or ½ tsp annatto powder for colour
Base
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed
Vegetables
2 medium eggplants (talong), cut into thick rounds
200 g long green beans (sitaw), cut into 5cm lengths
1 banana blossom (puso ng saging), quartered, or 1 small head of bok choy, leaves separated
Liquid
2 litres water
Seasoning
2 tbsp fish sauce (patis), or to taste
1 tsp salt, or to taste
To Serve
6 tbsp bagoong alamang (fermented shrimp paste), to serve, this is essential, not optional
600 g steamed white rice, to serve
Method
Place the oxtail in a large pot with the onion, garlic, and 2 litres of cold water. Bring to a boil, skimming off the grey foam that rises to the surface. Once the foam is cleared, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 to 2½ hours until the oxtail is very tender and nearly falling off the bone. Remove the oxtail and reserve the broth (you should have approximately 1–1.2 litres of rich broth remaining).
While the oxtail braises: if using raw peanuts, roast them at 180°C for 12 minutes until deep golden, cool, rub off the skins, and grind to a paste in a food processor with 150ml of the reserved oxtail broth. If using peanut butter, simply thin it with broth. Also toast a small handful of raw white rice in a dry pan until golden brown, then grind to a powder; this is the kare-kare thickener.
If using annatto seeds: soak them in 3 tablespoons of warm water for 10 minutes, then press and strain the orange liquid into the pot, discarding the seeds. If using annatto powder, add directly.
In a large pot or wok, combine the reserved broth with the peanut paste, toasted rice powder, and annatto liquid. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Add the braised oxtail pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until the sauce is thick and creamy.
Season with fish sauce and salt. Add the eggplant and long beans to the pot and cook for 5–6 minutes until just tender but not mushy. Add the banana blossom or bok choy in the last 2 minutes.
Transfer to a large serving bowl. Serve immediately with white rice and bagoong alamang on the side. Each diner mixes a small amount of bagoong into their portion; this is the essential flavour balance of the dish.
Notes
Kare-kare is traditionally a weekend or fiesta dish because of the long braising time. It improves overnight: the peanut sauce thickens and deepens in the refrigerator. Reheat gently with a splash of water. Tripe (tuwalya) and pig's knuckle (pata) are traditional additions alongside oxtail; many Pampangan families cook a mixture of all three. A vegetarian version using banana blossom, jackfruit, and eggplant as the protein base exists and is excellent.
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