MY PATA KARE-KARE

Craving for KARE-KARE for the last few weeks!
That’s why I decided to cook this “Pata Kare-Kare” with Kangkong Leaves (Water Spinach) instead of Pechay. And without Puso ng Saging. Of course served with sauteed shrimp paste and rice.

YOU NEED…….
* 1 kg Pata
* 2 pcs. medium-sized Eggplant
* 1 bunch of String bean ( sitaw)
* 1 bunch of Water Spinach (Kangkong) instead of Pechay
* 1 pack Mamasita’s Kare-kare base mix
* 1 cup of peanut butter ( I used Panda Kaas brand)
* Bagoong alamang guisado ( sauteed shrimps paste)

HOW TO…….

** 1.) Wash Pata well. Place in a large pot or casserole and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, removing scum as it rises. Cover and simmer until tender. When the meat is done set aside. In broth add some salt and cook the vegetables, so you have the taste from meat. Then set aside.

** 2.) Using the same broth mix the Mamasita’s base stew karee-kare mix and a cup of peanut butter.
Return all the meat in casserole, then add the mixture of peanut butter, simmer until the mixture are well blend together and the sauce is thick. Serve hot with bagoong guisado (sauteed shrimp paste).

OX TAIL STEW WITH OX LEG OR TRIPE (KARE-KARE)

A rich stew of ox tail, leg or tripe and a variety of vegetables in a sauce flavored and thickened with roasted ground peanuts (peanut butter is just as good!) and toasted rice flour. Another way to prepare kare-kare is to cook the vegetables separately in a small amount of water. I cook mine in the soup stock where I boiled the ox tripe!

Traditionally, kare-kare was cooked with freshly ground roasted peanuts and rice. Well, there’s nothing like cooking it that way, but I find the procedure too much for today’s busy lifestyle.

The easiest option is, of course, to get one of those ready mixes that are abundant in supermarkets. The mix determined the final thickness, flavor and color of the dish. If you’re as particular as I am, well, you look for another option. Here in abbroad, it’s really hard to find the perfect peanut butter for my kare-kare. So, one time I bought “peanut butter” from the wet market. This “peanut butter” is coarser than the bottled variety and unsweetened.

Guess what? I finally found the perfect peanut butter for my kare-kare. The slightly sweet flavor of the sauce was reaallllyyy great!…….and I even realize that they are salling it too in my favorite SUPERMARKET called MERKUR! The brand called; “PANDA KAAS erdnuss paste”. I used to mix it with Mamasita’s base (kare-kare) stew mix. My family, specially my hubby loves it.

Finally, about bagoong alamang. What is it? Bagoong alamang is a paste of salted and fermented shrimp fingerlings. I used the ready ones DAGUPAN brand.

YOU NEED…….

* 1 kg ox tail
* 200 g ox tripe
* 2 pcs. medium-sized eggplant
* 1 bunch of string bean ( sitaw)
* 1 bunch of pechay
* 1/4 head of cabbage, alternative for banana heart (puso ng saging)
* 1 pack Mamasita’s Kare-kare base mix
* 1 cup of peanut butter ( I used Panda Kaas brand)
* Bagoong alamang guisado ( sauteed shrimps paste)

HOW TO…….

1.) Wash ox tripe, tail and well. Place in a large pot or casserole and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, removing scum as it rises. Cover and simmer until tender. When the meat is done set aside. In broth add some salt and cook the vegetables, so you have the taste from meat. Then set aside.

2.) Using the same broth mix the Mamasita’s base stew karee-kare mix and a cup of peanut butter.
Return all the meat in casserole, then add the mixture of peanut butter, simmer until the mixture are well blend together and the sauce is thick. Serve hot with bagoong guisado (sauteed shrimp paste).