Kare Kare Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Recipe Overview
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes (instant pot) to 3 hours (stovetop)
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients Needed
- 1kg/2.2lbs oxtail, beef chuck or beef cheek
- 1-2 tablespoons oil
- 12 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced
- 5-6 cups hot water
- 2 beef stock cubes
- 4 tablespoons annatto powder or seeds soaked in 4 tablespoons hot water (optional)
- 3-4 tablespoons fish sauce to taste
- 120g/4oz/8 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 long eggplants
- 2 cups/240g/8oz beans
- 4 baby bok choy
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1a SAUTE STOVETOP- If using beef chuck or beef cheek, cut into large 2 inch pieces (if using oxtail, no need to do anything, keep whole). Heat oil in a pot on medium heat and brown the beef on both sides. Remove from the pan and then sauté onion until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds or so. Add 5 cups of hot water (reserve rest to add in later), beef stock cubes, fish sauce and strained annatto water (discard the seeds) and return the beef to the pot. Cook on low medium simmer for 2.5 hours but check every 30 minutes and add water if it needs it.
Step 1b SAUTE INSTANT POT - If using beef chuck or beef cheek, cut into large 2 inch pieces (if using oxtail, no need to do anything, keep whole). Set instant pot to saute and when ready add oil and brown the beef on both sides. Remove from the pot and then sauté onion until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds or so. Add 5 cups of hot water (reserve rest to add in later), beef stock cubes, fish sauce and strained annatto water (discard the seeds) and return the beef to the pot. Set to pressure cooker mode for 30 minutes.
Step 2 PREP VEGETABLES - Cut the eggplant in half lengthways and cut into diagonal pieces and place in a bowl of water. Top and tail beans and cut into 2 inch pieces. Cut bok choy in half.
Step 3 COOK VEGETABLES - When the beef is soft, add the peanut butter and stir adding in more water if needed. Add sugar to taste if needed. Then add the eggplants pieces and saute for 5 minutes. Then add the beans and saute for 3 minutes. Add the bok choy and saute for 4 minutes or until tender. Serve with steamed rice.
Personal Note
This is one of those wonderful recipes that just works every time. Savoury recipes are bit more forgiving than baking and I'm always a little surprised whenever I make this and such a simple combination of ingredients and a few tablespoons of peanut butter make such a powerhouse of flavours.
One thing that I had some trouble with recently was a sweet recipe. Specifically a lamb cake, you know the ones that are 3D lambs. Have you ever seen the memes about the lamb cake fails?
I actually made this cake 4 times. The problem is with the Nordic Ware mould which is strangely designed. Usually I love this brand and have several of their bundt tins but the lamb tin is unique. Normally with 3D cakes you have two halves but this one requires you to fill the cake mold and place the second half of the tin on top and there's a little steam hole and the batter it supposed to rise to fill the tin on both sides.
I couldn't get a recipe to reliably be reproduced; the first two overflowed badly. Then the third cake came out ok but wasn't quite perfect as it didn't rise to fill the tin so I thought I had the recipe almost right but the fourth cake overflowed out of the tin even though it was the exact same recipe as the third!
I should have just dusted the third cake with icing sugar which was my first instinct but instead I decided to decorate it with ermine frosting and stuck little mini m&m's in for eyes and a pink sprinkle for the nose. I wrapped it up in cling film ready for a dinner party the following night.
This morning I went to set the table where the lamb cake was and well my lamb cake was now a certified lamb cake fail! Its eyes were "bleeding" and I now have contributed to the graveyard of lamb fail cakes!
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever seen these lamb cake fails? Have you ever tried kare kare?