Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Dominique Linton celebrates with his favorite meal!

Dominique Linton, People Ops Coordinator out of LA, shares his favorite Filipino dish with us!

Kare Kare

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Today I am sharing one of my personal favorite Filipino dishes to eat, Kare Kare! Kare Kare is a type of Filipino stew with a rich and thick peanut sauce. It is a popular dish in the Philippines served during special occasions but with my family it can be whenever as well lol. Kare-kare’s storied history as a Filipino food goes back hundreds of years, with at least three ethnic groups claiming they invented it. A very close inspection of its name led us to some fascinating discoveries: that kare-kare was a Kapampangan term that meant poor imitation of their version of kari (curry), that its name was the basis of the word karinderya, and that kari meant sauce in other Asian languages.The traditional recipe is composed of ox tail. There are instances wherein both ox tripe and tail are used. The vegetable components include eggplant, or other greens, daikon, green beans, okra, and asparagus beans are added. Lightly browned toasted ground rice is used to thicken the sauce.Ingredients: (serving is roughly for 6)

• 2 pounds oxtail - cut into serving size

• 1 pound ox tripe - cut into serving size

• 6 cups water

• 2 tablespoons oil

• 2 cloves garlic - minced

• 1 medium onion - chopped

• 6 pieces yard-long beans - ends trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces

• 1 small banana heart (optional) - cut and pre-soaked

• 2 medium eggplant - cut into 2-inch pieces

• 2 tablespoons annatto powder

• 1 cup peanut butter - less sweet or unsweetened

• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

• 1/4 cup sticky rice flour

• 3 medium pechay or bok choy

Cooking:

1. In a pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute garlic and onion until limp and aromatic. Add the meat and sear for a minute to let the juices out.

2. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 3 hours, pot covered, or until the meat becomes very tender. Add more water if needed to make sure you have at least 3 cups of stock for the sauce.

3. Using a skillet over medium heat, toast sticky rice flour for a few minutes, stirring often, until it turns light brown in color. Transfer to a small bowl and add ¼ cup of water and set aside.

4. Once meat is tender, add the yardlong beans, banana heart, and eggplant to the pot and cook until al dente, add the peanut butter and annatto powder. Season with salt if desired. Stir and make sure that peanut butter is completely dissolved.

5. Once vegetables are cooked, gradually add the toasted rice flour mixture to the pot and mix well. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.

6. Lastly, add the pechay or bok choy and turn off the heat. Transfer to a serving pot or dish. Serve hot with steamed rice and some shrimp paste.

Once all down, Chow down man! If there's anything I missed or you want more info on, let me call up my Lola (grandma) and she can help hash out the deets!