KARE-KARE RECIPE
Classic Kare-Kare is often saved for special occasions because softening the meats takes hours of stove time. This version utilizes the ultimate capsule kitchen shortcut: using your separate, pre-simmered ox skin and beef tendon capsules that were frozen directly in their own rich cooking broth. By dropping these pre-cooked, collagen-infused bases straight into the pan, you bypass hours of boiling and get a glossy, velvety, restaurant-quality peanut glaze in under twenty minutes.
COOK AND PREP TIME
Prep Time: 5 minutes (thawing your capsule bases)
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Pre-Prepped Ingredients:
1 pack Pre-Prepped Ox Skin, thawed overnight (Link to Ox Skin, Tendon, and Collagen Broth Prep)
1 pack Pre-Prepped Beef Tendon, thawed overnight (Link to Ox Skin, Tendon, and Collagen Broth Prep)
1 pack pre-cooked beef cubes, frozen (Link to Juicy Beef Prep)
Sauce Ingredients:
¾ cup pure ground peanuts (or unsweetened creamy peanut butter)
2 tablespoons annatto seeds (atsuete), soaked in 3 tablespoons warm water to extract the orange color (or annatto powder)
Salt and black pepper to taste (to season the sauce base)
Vegetables:
1 bunch sitaw (string beans), cut into 2-inch lengths
2 medium eggplants, sliced diagonally
1 bunch pechay (native cabbage), ends trimmed
1 cup dried banana blossoms, rinsed
On the side:
Roasted shrimp paste (bagoong alamang)
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
1. Steam and Shock the Vegetables
Set up your steamer basket over boiling water. Arrange your sitaw, eggplant, and pechay inside. Steam for 3 to 5 minutes just until tender but still vibrantly colorful and crisp. While they steam, prepare a large bowl filled with cold water and ice cubes. Remove the vegetables from the steamer and plunge them immediately into the ice bath to halt the cooking process. Drain well after 1 minute and set aside. This shocking step locks in their gorgeous colors and guarantees a perfect crunch.
2. Thaw the Beef and Rehydrate the Blossoms (10-Minute Steady Simmer)
Empty your thawed ox skin capsule, thawed beef tendon capsule, and frozen beef cubes directly into a deep pan or pot. Turn the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a gentle, steady simmer. Drop your rinsed, dried banana blossoms directly into the bubbling liquid. Maintain a steady simmer for 10 minutes. This extended simmer completely thaws the frozen beef cubes to the core while allowing the dried banana blossoms to unfurl, plump up, and saturate themselves entirely with the deep beef flavors.
3. Build the Velvety Peanut Sauce
Slowly whisk your ground peanuts directly into the simmering broth. Stir continuously until the paste completely dissolves into the liquid, marries with the natural gelatin from the skin and tendon, and begins to thicken into a uniform sauce.
4. Color and Season
Strain your annatto (atsuete) water straight into the peanut mixture, stirring well until the sauce takes on that iconic, vibrant orange hue. Taste the sauce base directly and season it with salt and black pepper according to your preference.
5. The Low-Heat Glaze Simmer
Turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the meat, banana blossoms, and sauce simmer together uncovered for an additional 8 to 10 minutes. This gives the ingredients time to fully absorb the savory peanut flavors while the natural oils release, transforming the liquid into a thick, glossy glaze.
6. Plating the Clean Way
Scoop the thick, velvety meats, savory banana blossoms, and glossy peanut sauce into your serving bowl. Neatly arrange your vibrant, ice-shocked green sitaw, bright purple eggplants, and crisp pechay right on top of the sauce. Serve immediately alongside a bowl of warm rice and a side of savory roasted bagoong.
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