Kare-Kare
Kare-Kare
Kapampangan peanut stew with oxtail, honeycomb tripe, kalabasa, and achuete-orange sauce—served with bagoong and crushed peanuts on top.
Serves 8 · 2h 45m total time
The Story
Kare-kare is Pampanga’s showpiece stew—peanut sauce tinted orange with achuete (annatto), loaded with oxtail, tripe, and vegetables arranged like a fiesta platter. It is intentionally mild and nutty; the salty punch comes from bagoong you add bite by bite, not from the stew itself.
Best paired with
Sautéed shrimp paste (bagoong alamang) and lots of steamed rice
Meat variations
Mix and match—the sauce stays the same.
Special (oxtail + tripe)
Classic fiesta style: tender oxtail plus honeycomb tripe for two textures in one orange sauce—what most Filipino restaurants serve.
Tripe only
Budget-friendly and still authentic—use 800g cleaned tripe and skip oxtail. Simmer tripe until very tender before adding to the sauce.
Beef short ribs or hocks
Faster than oxtail with similar richness—braise until meat pulls easily, then proceed with the peanut sauce.
Seafood kare-kare
Swap meat for crab, shrimp, or squid in some regions—same vegetables and peanut base, shorter cook time.
Lola's Tips
- ✦Peanut butter: Use smooth, unsweetened natural peanut butter (peanuts and salt only). Avoid sugary brands—they make the sauce cloying. Blend with ground roasted peanuts for a more traditional nutty finish.
- ✦Color: Achuete oil is what gives kare-kare its sunset orange—not the peanut butter alone. Warm the oil with annatto seeds, strain, and stir in at the end of simmering.
- ✦Vegetables: Cook kalabasa, eggplant, sitaw, pechay, and banana blossom separately so they stay bright—arrange on top for presentation.
- ✦Tripe: Clean well with salt and vinegar; undercooked tripe ruins the dish. It should be soft, not rubbery.
- ✦Bagoong stays on the side—sauté with garlic and a little sugar before serving. Never stir it into the stew.
Substitutions
- peanut butter → ¾ cup ground roasted peanuts + extra broth, blended smooth
- annatto oil → 2 tbsp achuete seeds warmed in ¼ cup vegetable oil, strained
- kalabasa → extra eggplant or kamote (sweet potato) cubes
- banana blossom → canned hearts of palm, drained, or extra sitaw
Ingredients
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Instructions
- 1
Clean tripe: rub with salt and vinegar, rinse well. Simmer with ginger and enough water to cover 1–1½ hours until tender, or pressure-cook 25 minutes. Drain and slice into strips. (Skip if using oxtail only.)
- 2
Pressure-cook oxtail with onion, half the garlic, and a pinch of salt in 4 cups water until fall-off-the-bone tender, about 45–50 minutes. Reserve the rich broth.
- 3
Toast glutinous rice in a dry pan until golden, then grind to a fine powder—this thickens the sauce without flour.
- 4
Warm annatto (achuete) oil in the pot until the sauce will take on a deep orange-yellow color—that is the classic kare-kare look.
- 5
Sauté remaining onion and garlic. Add 6 cups broth (top up with water if needed). Whisk in peanut butter and ground peanuts until smooth. Stir in annatto oil, ground rice, and fish sauce. Simmer 15 minutes.
- 6
Add oxtail and tripe. Simmer gently 20–25 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and tastes nutty, not chalky—add more peanut butter 1 tbsp at a time if needed.
- 7
Cook vegetables separately so they stay bright: boil kalabasa and eggplant until just tender; blanch sitaw, pechay, and banana blossom 1–2 minutes. Drain.
- 8
Arrange meat in a bowl, ladle sauce over, and place vegetables around the top. Sprinkle crushed peanuts and green onions.
- 9
Serve with steamed rice and sautéed bagoong on the side—dip each bite; do not stir bagoong into the stew.
Kitchen Timer · prep and simmer
120:00
