Beef kare kare

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Kare kare is a traditional beef and peanut stew from the Philippines, full of flavour thanks to the country's sautéed shrimp paste (available from specialist grocers or online). This recipe also includes green beans, but feel free to add pak choi and/or fried aubergine for a more filling stew.

First published in 2022

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Beef

Kare Kare

  • 50g of shallots, finely diced
  • 10g of garlic, finely chopped
  • 10g of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 50g of bagoong shrimp paste
  • 100g of roasted peanuts, ground to a powder
  • 100g of rice flour
  • 30g of annatto seed, ground to a powder
  • 200g of peanut butter, (unsweetened)

Fermented shrimp and peanut

To serve

  • 120g of green beans, trimmed
  • red amaranth cress, (optional)

Method

1

Begin by cooking the beef (this can be done a day in advance if preferred). Place all the ingredients in a large pan and cover with 1.5L of water. Bring to a boil and skim the fat that rises to the surface – you need to reserve around 50ml of this for later, so don't throw it away as normal. Turn the heat down to a simmer then cook for 2.5–3 hours or until the beef is very tender. Leave to cool in the stock, then strain the stock into a separate container – you will need 1 litre in total. Discard all the solids apart from the beef, then reserve in the fridge

2

To make the sauce, place a large pan over a medium heat and add the skimmed fat you reserved from cooking the brisket. Sauté the shallot, garlic and ginger until soft, then add the shrimp paste and continue to cook for a minute

  • 50g of shallots, finely diced
  • 10g of garlic, finely chopped
  • 10g of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 50g of bagoong shrimp paste
3

Add the strained stock and peanut butter and beat with a whisk until smooth. Leave to gently simmer

4

Place a frying pan over a high heat and add the ground peanuts, rice flour and annatto seed. Toast until lightly golden, shaking the pan to stop it from burning. Add a ladle of the peanut stock and stir to create a paste, then add this paste into the peanut stock and simmer until the sauce is smooth with a dark orange tinge

  • 100g of roasted peanuts, ground to a powder
  • 100g of rice flour
  • 30g of annatto seed, ground to a powder
5

To create the fermented shrimp and peanut paste, simply mix the two together. The shrimp paste has quite a powerful flavour, so you can adjust the ratios to your liking

6

Slice the brisket into neat pieces then place into the stock to heat through for 5 minutes or so, along with the trimmed green beans

7

To serve, divide the broth into 4 bowls and carefully pile up some pieces of the brisket. Carefully add a bundle of the beans and finish with a spoonful of the peanut and shrimp paste and some red amaranth cress (if using)

  • red amaranth cress, (optional)

Before taking a contract on a cruise ship where he worked alongside a number of Filipino chefs, Jeremy Villanueva had only ever cooked classical French cuisine professionally. Now, having taken time to relearn the cuisine he grew up eating, he’s the executive chef at Filipino restaurant Kasa & Kin in London.

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