Kare-Kare

Ingredients

• •2 lb oxtail, cut into pieces
• •1 onion, chopped
• •4 cloves garlic, minced
• •2 tbsp toasted rice flour
• •1/2 cup peanut butter
• •2 tbsp annatto (achuete) oil, for color
• •1 lb long beans (or green beans), cut into pieces
• •1 eggplant, sliced
• •1 bunch bok choy
• •Bagoong (fermented shrimp paste), sautéed, for serving
• •Salt, to taste

Steps

1. 1.Boil the oxtail in water with the onion until very tender, about 1.5-2 hours, skimming off foam as needed; reserve the cooking broth.
2. 2.Remove the oxtail and brown the pieces in a hot pan.
3. 3.In a large pot, sauté the garlic in the annatto oil to build the sauce base and give it its signature reddish-orange color.
4. 4.Gradually whisk the toasted rice flour and peanut butter into the reserved oxtail broth, adding it a little at a time to avoid lumps, until you have a thick, smooth, velvety sauce.
5. 5.Return the oxtail to the pot and simmer until the sauce thickens further and coats the meat.
6. 6.Add the vegetables in order of toughness - the long beans and eggplant first, cooking until nearly tender, then the bok choy last, just until wilted.
7. 7.Serve with steamed rice and a side of sautéed bagoong, letting each diner stir in as much of the salty, funky paste as they like rather than mixing it into the pot.