Filipino Whole30 Eats: Kare Kare

This one I was really hesitant to try. If there is any Filipino dish that I would have thought was impossible to make Whole30 compliant while retaining its essential taste, it would have been kare kare. The signature component of kare kare is its thick, redolent peanut sauce; it’s what makes it kare kare – and of course peanuts are not allowed in Whole30. I’d seen one or two recipes online that used nuts or nut butters as substitutes, but I was sure they would never measure up to the kare kare that Filipinos know and love; I was sure their taste would simply be too bland, too different.

Also, kare kare’s usual accompaniment is bagoong, the ubiquitous, salty/shrimpy seasoning/condiment that is never far from Filipino tables. And I’ve never found any brand of bagoong that didn’t have offplan ingredients (such as soy oil, corn oil, sugar, or various preservatives). So I thought for sure that kare kare would just have to remain an offroad pleasure, never to be folded into the ever-growing menu of Whole30-compliant dishes.

But no harm in trying, right? Plus, I had some farmer’s market oxtails in the freezer that had been patiently waiting for me to build up the gumption to give this a try. So I finally did.

I think of all the Filipino Whole30 dishes I’ve tried, this actually hit the mark the closest. I leaned heavily on anchovies to 1) simulate the rich umami flavor of the peanut sauce (more than making up for the relative blandness of the almond base I used in place of peanuts), and 2) replace bagoong as the delivery system of concentrated bits of salty goodness. What I came up with was, if I may say, pretty damn good – a kare kare dish that was indubitably kare kare. Just like I’ve always known it.

Translations

Bagoong (Bah-goh-ohng): fermented shrimp or krill paste, a common condiment

Kare kare (Kah-reh kah-reh): a stew in thick peanut sauce, typically with oxtail, tripe, and a variety of vegetables

Patis (pah-tis): fish sauce

Puso ng saging (Poo-soh nahng sah-ging – first “g” in saging is a hard “g”): literally, “banana heart” – the blossom of the banana tree

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. oxtails
• 2 Chinese eggplants, cut diagonally into 2-inch chunks
• 1 bundle of Chinese string beans, cut into 3-inch slices (about 3-4 cups)
• 3-4 bok choy, trimmed and separated into leaves
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 cup almond butter
• 2 tablespoons anchovy paste
• 2 tablespoons annatto oil (see below)
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
• Salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons ghee, divided
• 6-8 cups of water
• 1 can of anchovies, minced

For the annatto oil –

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2  tablespoons annatto seeds

Substitutions: tripe and puso ng saging (banana blossoms), are almost always included in kare kare; other kinds of meats, such as goat meat and pig legs, are sometimes used; there are seafood variations with prawns, squid, and mussels, as well as all-vegetable versions.

Instructions

1. To prepare the annatto oil: heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the annatto seeds, stir occasionally until bubbles start to form. Let simmer for a few minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to cool. Strain out the annatto seeds and keep the oil.
2. Heat a large pot over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of ghee. Add the oxtails and cook them in the ghee, turning them to make sure they are browned on all sides. Add the onions and garlic, continuing to mix, until the onions are translucent and the garlic starts to brown.
3. Add enough water in the pot to cover the meat – about 6-8 cups. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer gently for at least 3 hours.
4. Once the meat is fork tender and almost dropping off the bone, add the almond flour, almond butter, anchovy paste, and annatto oil. Slowly sprinkle in the tapioca starch, stirring continuously. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking and stirring until you have a thick, mustard-colored sauce.
5. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee. Sauté the eggplants for several minutes, then add the string beans. Continue to sauté until the eggplants and string beans soften and are nearly cooked. Add the bok choy leaves and sauté for a few more minutes until the bok choy starts to wilt.
6. Add the veggies into the pot with the oxtails and nut sauce. Stir to mix the stew thoroughly. Adjust the seasoning as necessary.
7. Serve hot with bowls of cauliflower rice and small sauce plates of minced anchovies on the side as added seasoning.

Makes 5-6 servings.

How this is Whole30

Almond flour and almond butter take the place of peanuts to form the sauce base. We avoid bagoong by using anchovy paste and minced anchovies instead.

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