Pro Tips
**Chef's Tips & Troubleshooting:**
- Toast the ground rice or peanuts before adding them to the stew for deeper flavor.
- Grind peanuts or peanut butter with a little warm broth first to prevent lumps in the sauce.
- Use a meat thermometer to check doneness: 130°F for medium-rare, 160°F for well-done.
- For oxtail or beef shanks, the connective tissue needs prolonged simmering to become gelatinous and tender.
Cooking Tips
For the most tender results, cook low and slow — a gentle simmer (not a vigorous boil) breaks down connective tissue without drying out the meat. Taste and adjust seasoning toward the end of cooking. As liquids reduce, flavors concentrate, so what tastes balanced early may become too salty later. Check liquid levels halfway through cooking and add hot water or broth if needed. Long-cooked dishes can dry out or burn if left unattended. In true Kapampangan style — the food capital of the Philippines — don't be shy with the seasoning. Pampanga cooking is known for its bold, confident flavors.
Ingredient Substitutions
Beef alternatives: For stews, pork shoulder or oxtail provide similar richness. For steaks, try portobello mushrooms or cauliflower steaks for a vegetarian twist. Short on time? A pressure cooker (Instant Pot) can reduce cooking time by roughly half for most braised and stewed Filipino dishes. Reduce liquid slightly since less evaporates.
Storage & Reheating
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. The flavors often deepen overnight, making leftovers even more delicious. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened during storage. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.
Kare Kare Buntot ng Baka
Oxtail and beef shank are slow-simmered for hours in a thick, savory peanut paste sauce with annatto powder, Chinese eggplant, banana blossoms, bok choy, and string beans until the meat is fall-apart tender and luxuriously rich and nutty.
Instructions
- Boil water. Add the vegetable ingredients. Cook this for 2 minutes. Remove and soak it in a bowl with cold water for 3 minutes. Drain the water and dry the vegetables. Set it aside.
- Heat cooking oil in a pot. Saute the garlic and onion.
- Add the Ox tail once the onion softens. Saute it until the color turns light brown.
- Pour the water that was used to cook the vegetables into the cooking pot. Cover and bring it into a simmer. Continue cooking until the ox tail tenderizes.
- Add Knorr Beef Cube, peanut paste, and annatto powder. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Season with fish sauce and ground black pepper.
- Move to to a serving bowl. Top with blanched vegetables. Serve with shrimp paste (bagoong alamang).
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Pro Tips & Troubleshooting
- Toast the ground rice or peanuts before adding them to the stew for deeper flavor.
- Grind peanuts or peanut butter with a little warm broth first to prevent lumps in the sauce.
- Use a meat thermometer to check doneness: 130°F for medium-rare, 160°F for well-done.
- For oxtail or beef shanks, the connective tissue needs prolonged simmering to become gelatinous and tender.
Cooking Tips
Taste and adjust seasoning toward the end of cooking. As liquids reduce, flavors concentrate, so what tastes balanced early may become too salty later.
Check liquid levels halfway through cooking and add hot water or broth if needed. Long-cooked dishes can dry out or burn if left unattended.
In true Kapampangan style — the food capital of the Philippines — don't be shy with the seasoning. Pampanga cooking is known for its bold, confident flavors.
Substitutions
Short on time? A pressure cooker (Instant Pot) can reduce cooking time by roughly half for most braised and stewed Filipino dishes. Reduce liquid slightly since less evaporates.
Storage & Reheating
Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened during storage. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.
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