Kare Kare
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- Total: 5 hr 45 min
- Active: 55 min
Ingredients
Brisket:
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
6 to 8 pounds brisket, fat trimmed to 1/4-inch
Kare Kare Sauce:
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, cut into quarters
4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds smooth peanut butter
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons salt
1 ounce annatto seeds
Bagoong Alamang:
1 tablespoon oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, cut into medium wedges
1/2 red onion, julienne about 1/8 inch thick
1/2 pound small preserved salted shrimp
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 pieces baby bok choy, separated into leaves
1 pound eggplant, cut into 3-inch sticks
1 1/2 pounds long green beans, cut into about 3-inch pieces
6 tablespoons roasted, crushed peanuts
6 sprigs fresh cilantro
4 cups cooked jasmine rice
Directions
- For the brisket: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Stir together 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle the brisket with the salt and pepper mix. Place the brisket fat-side up in a pan lined with a baking rack and add 1 1/2 cups water. Cover the pan with foil and bake until the fat has rendered, 3 to 4 hours. Dice into 1-inch cubes and set aside. Reserve brisket juices.
- For the kare kare sauce: Heat up a medium saucepot; add 1 tablespoon oil. Sautee the onions and garlic until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add the peanut butter, granulated sugar, salt and 7 cups water. Mix well and bring up to a boil. Meanwhile, heat up 3 cups brisket drippings and the annatto seeds in another pot and simmer until the brisket drippings achieve a nice red/brownish color, about 5 minutes. Strain the brisket drippings into the peanut butter mixture. Simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes.
- For the bagoong alamang: Heat up a medium saute pan; add oil. Saute the garlic, tomatoes and onions until the tomatoes have cooked down, about 6 minutes. Strain the salted shrimp to get out most of the liquid out, then add to the pan. Add the brown sugar and cook until a pastelike consistency is formed, another 5 minutes.
- Boil the bok choy, eggplant and green beans separately in boiling water until cooked through, then drain and set aside.
- Add about 10 ounces kare kare sauce to a flat bowl. Add about 4 to 5 pieces each of the bok choy, eggplant and long beans. Place the diced brisket on top and garnish with peanuts, a sprig of cilantro and a side of bagoong alamang. Serve with a side of jasmine rice. Repeat to make 3 to 5 more servings.
Cook’s Note
Make sure the brisket is properly cooked. You do not want chewy brisket! When eating the final product, take a little of the brisket, sauce and veggies and put a dab of the bagoong alamang on top. The bagoong alamang acts as a flavored salt to take the flavors to another level. A little will go a long way.