Kare Kare is a traditional Filipino stew complimented with a thick savory peanut sauce. The commonly used meats for this dish are ox tail, tripe, and pork leg; on some occasions goat and chicken meat are also used. Besides the peanuts, this dish depends on the shrimp paste (on the side) in order to be fully enjoyed. Traditionally, “palayok” (clay cooking pot) is used to cook this dish and it is also used as the serving pot.
I almost tried every meat that can possibly used in cooking Kare-Kare and in my opinion ox tail, pig’s leg, cow’s face (yes, face off), and tripe are the ones that I like. Ask every Filipino that you know and I’m sure that they have a lot to say about this wonderful dish.
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Try this Kare Kare recipe and let me know what you think.
Recipe: Kare Kare
Ingredients
- 3 lbs oxtail (cut in 2 inch slices) you an also use tripe or beef slices
- 1 small banana flower bud (sliced)
- 1 bundle of pechay or bok choy
- 1 bundle of string beans (cut into 2 inch slices)
- 4 pcs eggplants (sliced)
- 1 cup ground peanuts
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup shrimp paste
- 34 Ounces water (about 1 Liter)
- 1/2 cup annatto seeds (soaked in a cup of water)
- 1/2 cup toasted ground rice
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- salt and pepper
Watch the cooking video:
Cooking Procedure
- In a large pot, bring the water to a boil
- Put in the oxtail followed by the onions and simmer for 2.5 to 3 hrs or until tender (35 minutes if using a pressure cooker)
- Once the meat is tender, add the ground peanuts, peanut butter, and coloring (water from the annatto seed mixture) and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes
- Add the toasted ground rice and simmer for 5 minutes
- On a separate pan, saute the garlic then add the banana flower, eggplant, and string beans and cook for 5 minutes
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to the large pot (where the rest of the ingredients are)
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Serve hot with shrimp paste. Enjoy!
Number of servings (yield): 6
My rating
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The best talaga ang mga luto mo master Vanj. OK itong Kare-Kare, pang restaurant and quality. Next time naman baka pwedeng mag request ng Chicken Pastel.
hi po anu po pa ba ang pwede alternative n pang pakulay maliban sa annatto seeds ?
ang ung bigas tosted muna bago dikdikin or after?
tnx
you can use achuete para s pangulay, pero mas masarap yata kung giniling n mani kahit d n samahan ng peanut butter!
I did this everything from scratch and much better, I was fortunate to have one of those grinder mixer therefore I have grind fresh peanuts. Masarap na masarap.
Hi,
Im so glad i have your website…kc noon ko pa tlga like magluto ng kare-kare. Now, i am hooked in your site for some fast and easy cooking. I hope Na ung ibang mga ingredients that u use you can always have the transalation in English kc minsan dto sa States ang hirap maghanap ng ingredients to make the filipino dish really authentic.
Thanks so much. No i can cook kare kare…
Godbless u and your site. More power.
Your Kare-kare recipe with accompanying demonstration is one of the best so far that has been posted in the internet. Marketman’s is also very good. I like your recipe very much because it is AUTHENTIC, and does not make short cuts and nor excessive substituting of ingredients.
We cook Kare-kare very much like your recipe, except that we also add tripe to the oxtail, and no peanut butter.
Thanks for the recipe
We also add a few whole okras to the stew.
kuya ito ang hapunan namin today.ginaya ko step by step ang recipe mo. marunong na akong mag-kare-kare. ay kasarap! wala akong atsuete kaya paprika ang ginamit ko. diko mapigilan ang tikman ng tikman everytime magagawi ako sa kusina. malapit na ngang maubos ang sabaw e.hahaha. salamat po kuya Vanjo.
hi!lam mo po ba magluto ng menudong gulay?salamat.
hello po!!!! wow!
now makakapagluto na ko ng kare-kare favorita yan ng husband ko… tnxs din sa kumare ko she told me about ur site god bless… alam nio po b ung recipe ng humba??? tnxs po ulit
ganda naman ng boses nung nagluluto…salamat po mr macho ang voice sa walang sawang share samin ng mga niluluto mo dami na ako na22nan more power and God bless also to everyone and your family
Hi kuya,
I’ve tried your recipes, they’re great talaga! ask ko lang po i can’t find anato powder nor seed in our place will it be ok if i use atsuete powder insted?
thanks po more power!!! Godbless
kopiko, they are the same
hi kuya, ako po nanaman bago po lang ako sa website mo dito po ako sa Ireland Dublin.ang sarap po ninyong magloto puwede ba pong maglotu kayo ng paella…. thanks po. godblesssssss……..
This is good recipe but lets take it up a notch (BAM) hahaha. Once the meat is tender, take it out of the broth and step aside. In a separate pan, heat up oil and fry minced garlic (the more the better) and add in powdered Annatto that you can buy in the spanish section of any grocery store. Add the meat and cook it in the garlic and annatto mix. You can add chopped onions but in my opinion, it will not make that much of a difference and a very good chance a quick spoilage so leave it out.
Now… add the peanut butter (creamy) to the still warm broth and mix to dissolve. Why do i do this? Because i use to add it with the meat in the broth and one of my guests eating found a huge clump of peanut butter thinking it was beef! Now, either you add the broth with peanut butter to the beef, garlic and annatto mixture or the other way around. Add veggies, salt and pepper, serve hot with bagoong on the side and sliced mangoes, ENJOY! Why am i revealing all my secrets for the world to read hahahaha
hi kuya! the best talaga nag panlasang pinoy. katatapos ko lng mgluto ng kare kare for our diner wow sarap talaga…
kuya, ask ko lng sana ano pede ipalit sa confectioners sugar para sa puto, cake at iba png dessert? diabetic kc ang husband ko.. 4X na ako ngtry ng puto yummy talaga; yng panglima kng try gumamit ako ng sugar free ha ha ha! pumalpak talaga walang kalasalasa at hindi umalsa ang puto, hindi ko alam bakit ganun ang ngyari same ingredients except sugar…. thank you very much antayin ang reply mo;
I love this! Gawa nga ako nito bukas, maraming salamat po kuya sa recipes ninyo.
looks really yummy..thanks po
Thanks for the recipe. I must try this after Holy Week <;o
Question, at my place, the oxtail is already "peeled"…meaning the skin is already taken out. Isn't that what makes karekare thick and gooey?
Perhaps I can add more grounded rice or what?
tagal ng request ng husband ko na magluto ako ng kare-kare kaso wala kasi akong confidence dahil ayaw kong maphiya sknya, but now confident na ako and i’m sure magugustuhan nya. thanks for the big help talga, God bless
Lutuan ko bf ko nyan anyday this week. I tried nga pala your empanada…kuya pwede ko ba yun i-deep fry insteed sa oven? Thanks! Lots of power on your site.xxx
Hi,
I’ve been craving for kare-kare for weeks now, seafood kare-kare actually. I know nothing beats the beef kare-kare, but I’m settling for quick cooking. Would it be possible for you to feature a no-shortcut recipe of the seafood kare-kare. I know ‘mani’ lang sa inyo ‘to, because you already managed to post the original kare-kare recipe.
Thanks,
Libby (yeah, the peanut butter brand)
hi kuya,,, im preparing to cook karekare for our lunch, this is my first tym to cook karekare,, thanks for panlasang pinoy… it helps a lot
hello kuya! i’ve tried this as well and masarap sya. natutuwa ako marunong na ako magluto ng kare-kare without the instant mix na nabibili sa grocery. thanks so much! by the way, since wala ako ground rice and some of your readers might not have access to that ingredient as well, i used rice flour and toasted it, too. ayos naman ang kinalabasan. thank you po ulit!
question lang po, why do you need toasted rice para sa pampalapot?
Hi, thank you so much for sharing your recipes to us. You are such a good person and very honest. Two weeks ago a friend told me about your website, I should have known your site since you started. Maraming salamat sa iyo, keep up the good work, and God bless.
Thank you for this website now I have someplace to refer my friends “who” keep asking me for filipino recipes. The video instruction and written recipes are very helpful to all my pinay-american friends. Salamat po
oxtail is the best. i can’t swallow tripe. i’d rather cook with chicken than with tripe. when we were young, my mother used to cook with pork ears. they were really good–cooked in the pressure cooker for about 40 minutes really softened the ears.
Hi, I am a Chinese reader of yours and I love cooking Pinoy food. It does help when you have a picky Filipina food critic that happens to be my girlfriend ^_^ I was wondering if it was necessary to put the annato seed coloring into this dish. I am not sure where I would be able to find the annato seeds
Thank you Chef Vanjo! 
you can find annato seeds in some Chinese store or Thai store…
Why you are revealing all your secret recipes for the world to read? Because all our knowledge, talents and skills are God-given and as such are meant to be shared for others to enjoy God’s blessings. Doesn’t it make you feel good that God has chosen you to be His steward to spread God’s goodness and Grace? Thanks for that selfless act of generosity. I will try your version of the kare kare this weekend.
vanjo the best ang kare kare mo…
tnx…grave sarap n sarap mga anak ko s kare-kare….1st time ko nag luto nito nkuha ko agad yung timpla …maraming slamat sa panlasang pinoy …more powers and God Bless…
Finally, i will master this kare-kare, now I have the guts to tell my husband na I can cook kare-kare…very nutritious and palatable dish ever! i got you! thanks Chef Vanjo! God bless you more…
finally! i’ll be able to cook my own kare-kare without having to wait for a party hehehe. I’m so excited to try it on Tuesday dinner. I’m trying to impress a man! since my mom told him i can’t cook hahaha
*cook my own kare-kare, not waiting for a party to be able to have some hehehe
Hi! Unfortunately, I am allergic to all nuts. Is there a substitute for the peanuts? (Probably won’t be kare kare anymore then) Thank you!
Thanks Stephen. Susubukan kong gawin yang nirerequest mo. Nakakatuwang malaman na nagustuhan mo ang mga lutuin natin dito sa panlasangpinoy. Paki abangan na lang dito ang request mo at huwag kang magsasawang bumisita dito.
Kung may mga recipe ka nga pala na gustong i-share, pwede kang mag email sa webmaster@panlasangpinoy.com at ilalagay natin as feature and mga recipe na ipapadala ninyo.
Aby, you can use paprika as an alternative pero medyo tatamis ang lasa ng dish. Another alternative is to use food coloring.
Adding tripe is brilliant too. Thanks for visiting Jovita. See you around.