For moments captured and stories shared.

Passport & Plate - Homey Kare-Kare

Philippines | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Chicken Kare-Kare:

A kilo of chicken

About 6-8 cups of water
2-3 bay leaves
2 tablespoon of cooking oil
One head of garlic, minced
One red onion, diced
A tablespoon of atsuete seeds or 1/4 cup of atsuete/ annatto oil)
One piece chili pepper (labuyo or wild chili)
A tablespoon of fish sauce
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
A tablespoon of fish sauce
2 cups of peanut butter
A cup of crushed peanuts
A tablespoon of rice flour (optional)

A bundle of sitaw (string beans), sliced to pieces
Two talong (eggplants), sliced to pieces
Two bundles of taiwan pechay (bokchoy), sliced to pieces

Bagoong (shrimp paste)

And a warm smile :)

 

How to prepare this recipe
1. Start with a warm smile. :) A meal prepared with a smile is the most satisfying one.

2. Put the cups of water in a cooking pot and bring the chicken to a boil. Add the bay leaves, salt and pepper to season it. (About 30-45 mins)

3. While waiting for the chicken to cook and soften, fry the atsuete/annatto seeds to 1/4 cup of cooking oil for about 3 minutes. Strain and keep the oil. (That is if you don't have a prepared atsuete oil)

4. Crushed the peanuts to your preference, you can go from chunky to super fine.

5. When the chicken is cooked, strain the chicken.

6. In the stock, blanched the vegetables for about 2-3 minutes. Strain it and keep the stock.

7. In a pot, heat oil then sauté garlic and onions. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Add the chili, atsuete oil and some fish sauce.

8. Then add the chicken, let the colour cover the chicken. Sauté for a minute then add the stock, peanut butter and crushed peanuts.

9. Bring to a boil. (Optional) Add a tablespoon of rice flour if you want it thicker. But sometimes the peanut butter is enough. :)

10. Add the vegetables.

11. Serve with a good serving of rice, bagoong on the side and a nice glass of calamansi juice.

12. Eat well and best enjoyed with a good company.

 

The story behind this recipe
A good meal can cure the brokenhearted and the homesick. For almost two years now, I've been living away from home and been craving for my mother's home-cooked meals, making me homesick than ever. Her version of Kare-Kare is just to die for, making me long for happy, sunny Sundays at our home eating a hearftul meal. Dining out for home-cook family meals would be a cheat, it lacks the warmth brought about by a mother who prepared it personally for her family. You can actually taste the difference - the former being too generic.

So what better way to cure this homesick's craving but to try her best and prepare the meal herself. Thank god, I've been patient enough to help her around the kitchen.

By memory, I decided to try and cook Kare-Kare for my friends. Little adjustments should be made though. She usually cook Kare-Kare with oxtail and beef and sometimes pork and I don't have a good pot to soften and cook the oxtail or beef so I change it to chicken- easier to handle! I like spicy food (who doesn't?), so I add a chili straight to the course to make it spicier and lastly she use pure crushed peanuts, I like it somewhat sweet and creamy so I add cups of peanut butter. And that's how I come up with this version of my mom's cooking.

I always imagine that I am in the same kitchen as she is while cooking. Trying to be in that moment and letting the meal capture it. That somehow fills up the warmth I always look for food.
Serve with a hot rice and calamansi juice (that she always prepare for me) in a hot sunny day. That should do. The rest, I'll have to leave to my imagination.