When I was growing up, having kare-kare for lunch meant having lunch outside the house, whether in A&L restaurant (a family favorite) located along the circumference of Araneta Coliseum or in Barrio Fiesta. I was not that into kare-kare that time because I was a very choosy eater when I was young; it is always a task for my mom and my Nanang (our lola) to feed me.

Now I am all grown, up, things have definitely changed. My sister told me that whereas before, "ang hirap mong pakainin, pero ngayon ang hirap mong awatin sa pagkain!" Hehehe! I really love to eat, and I am fortunate to keep my weight at the normal level, although I really gained a lot of weight after the wedding. ;-) Anyway, we seldom go anymore out to have lunch in any of QC's restos (most often in Kamay Kainan in West Ave.) because I get to cook our own lunch!! And just last Sunday I cooked kare-kare as per John's request. It was not supposed to be the dish my mommy had in mind but when John and I went to buy danggit and dried mangoes as padala for my FIL in Saudi, John saw banana heart (the white one) and picked it up. I told him that was the kind used for kare-kare, and he said "Sige, luto ka bukas." I said "Ok, meron namang pata na binili tsaka marami pa yung peanut butter na padala ni Manang."

And so last Sunday I cooked the "walang kamatayang kare-kare". We often term it like that because everytime my eldest sis came home for a vacation from NY, she always requests for kare-kare, whether at home or in any restaurant; as in walang kasawa-sawa. But it was understandable on her part because living in NY by her lonesome meant having Chinese take-out or burger as her meal. My Tito Noning, who is based in Iloilo, also always requests me to cook oxtail kare-kare whenever they come over to visit.

I started to cook kare-kare when my dad was still with us, but my dad preferred the real kare-kare with oxtail (or buntot ng baka) and tripe or what they call "tuwalya". My eldest sis also likes tuwalya, but my Mom and my other sister prefer just the pata (pork knuckles) because it is meatier with just the right fat. Oxtail tends to be so oily after it is boiled, but the broth tends to be gelatinous, malagkit-lagkit, thus, lesser ground malagkit rice for thickening. For healthier eating, I also prefer pork knuckles, but definitely oxtail is yummier.

So for my own version of kare-kare, I used pork knuckles (pata), the front leg is best because it has more meat than the hind ones. I also used toasted and ground malagkit (glutinous rice) for thickening, toasting and grinding them myself using the nut chopper of my blender. Most cooks, especially the oldies use toasted and ground peanuts (the old-fashioned way) but I find using store-bought peanut butter(Lady's choice creamy) yummier and less work. Last Sunday's dish, I used some of Jiff's chunky peanut butter we have and since it had chopped nuts in it, I put it in the blender and added some water to lighten its consistency. This proved better-tasting than Lady's choice creamy peanut butter because the latter is kinda sweet. The blended peanut butter I used was not sweet nor salty, as Jiff is kinda salty. Just the right taste, just like using grounded peanuts for the sauce.

The vegetables I used are just the banana heart (the white and long variety), eggplant and string beans (sitaw). I did not add pechay because my mom does not like pechay in kare-kare. Neither do I. ;-) What I did with the vegetables to prevent it from getting too limpy (or nabugbog) is I steamed them separately until it is cooked but not too limp. Then I added the steamed veggies right before serving the kare-kare, careful not to overmix them into the dish.

So here's the recipe for kare-kare, truly a Pinoy favorite. Cooking kare-kare is always time-consuming for me and quite tiring, but with the praises I get from my family especially from John, it was truly worth the time and effort. Hope you and your family will savor it as much as we do!




KARE-KARE
(Pork Knuckles in Peanut Sauce)

1 pork leg (pata), chopped into pieces
1 banana heart (white variety),
halved lengthwise and sliced into 3" long segments
3 pcs eggplants, sliced into 3 segments then halved
1 bundle string beans (sitaw), cut into 3" long
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1/2 c. malagkit rice, toasted and grinded
1 small bottle peanut butter
(you may use Lady's Choice Creamy Peanut Butter)
1/2 c. atsuete seeds soaked in 1/2 c. hot water

For the Bagoong:
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 segment ginger, peeled and diced
2-3 cloves garlice, minced
1 cup alamang
1/4 c. Sprite

1. Before chopping the pata or pork leg, clean it thoroughly, discarding the toe tips and taking out the hair in the skin by using a blade. Wash and chop into serving pieces.

2. Place the chopped pata pieces in a casserole, cover it with just enough water and add a little salt. Boil until meat is tender and the fat is thoroughly cooked.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables to be steamed. Cut the banana heart lengthwise, then slice it into 3" pieces. Discard the hard parts of the banana heart. Immerse in a bowl of water to prevent discoloration. Cut the eggplants into 3 segments, then halve each segment. Immerse the eggplant pieces in a bowl of water also to prevent discoloration. Cut the string beans into about 3" segments.

4. Boil water in a separate casserole then steam the vegetables by batches (string beans, eggplant and banana heart). Set aside the steamed vegetables.

5. Toast malagkit rice in pan until brown. Grind the toasted malagkit rice in a chopper. Set aside.

6. Prepare atsuete coloring by soaking the atsuete seeds in about 1/2 cup of hot water. (Some heat the atsuete seeds in oil to extract the color then the atsuete oil is used in sauteing the onions, but I prefer soaking the seeds in water).

7. Saute the chopped onions in about 2 tsbp of cooking oil until wilted then add the peanut butter. Stir until the peanut butter is melted.

8. Check on the pata if already tender, then take the pata pieces from the casserole and put in a bowl. Add the toasted and ground malagkit rice to the broth then using a wire whisk, whisk the ground malagkit until dissolved. Then add the sauteed onion and peanut butter mixture, whisking the sauce again to achieve a smooth consistency.

9. Return the pata pieces into the casserole and simmer for about 5 minutes, mixing it from time to time to prevent the sauce from sticking at the bottom of the casserole. Then, add the steamed vegetables and simmer for about 3 minutes before serving.

10. Serve the kare-kare with sauteed bagoong alamang.

11. To cook the bagoong: Heat about 2 tbsp of cooking oil then saute the ginger first, then add the garlic until slightly brown. Add the alamang and saute thoroughly. Add about 1/4 cup of Sprite to make it a little sweet and to temper the saltiness of the alamang. Boil the alamang with sprite until the sprite dries up. Serve with the kare-kare.

joy whipped up this dish... @ 11:37 AM

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