Kare-Kare is the ultimate comfort food for Filipinos, and is a perennial family favorite in both local and overseas Filipino households. It is a Philippine stew made from a base of tender beef such as oxtail or beef stew meat which has been slowly cooked for 3-4 hours until it is nearly falling off the bone. This wonderful medley is infused with vegetables such as eggplant, Chinese cabbage, or other greens, daikon, green beans, and asparagus usually equaling or exceeding the amount of meats.
This rich medley is flavored with ground roasted peanuts or peanut butter, onions, and garlic. The stew is colored with annatto (extracted from annatto seeds in oil or water), and can be thickened with toasted or plain ground rice.
Other flavorings may be added. It is often eaten with bagoong (shrimp paste), sometimes spiced with chili, bagoong guisado (spiced and sautéed shrimp paste), and sprinkled with calamansi juice. Traditionally, any Filipino Party is not complete without Kare Kare.
