Filipino Peanut Stew (Kare Kare)

Kare Kare is a traditional Filipino thick savoury peanut stew, accompanied by a vegan shrimp paste to bring it to the next level.

Kare Kare is a traditional Filipino stew, commonly using different types of meats like oxtails and pork parts. Today, we’re making a vegan version with lots of veggies, tofu, tempeh and ground peanuts. I’ve served it with some blanched bok choy, garlic sprouts and vegan chili shrimp paste.

I’ve kept most of the vegetables authentic to this dish like bok choy, eggplants and banana blossoms. However, I’ve substituted spring beans for garlic sprouts for more flavour. To thicken the sauce, I used rice flour but you can also use corn flour if it’s easier to access.

Kare Kare is best served with hot white rice and tastes amazing! The favourite part of this stew is the fact that it’s freshly prepared and balanced with proteins and plenty of vegetables.

Since this version does not include any meat, the preparation is also much faster than traditional Kare Kare. It’s also naturally gluten free!

Ingredients You Need

• banana blossom – you can also get fresh banana hearts which is what I used in this recipe. They also sell canned banana blossom, which would be more convenient.
• eggplants – a versatile vegetable used in Kare Kare
• garlic sprouts – we’re using this in place of long string beans for more flavour but you can still use long spring beans!
• bok choy – you can use any other chinese greens if you are unable to find bok choy
• protein – I used extra firm tofu and tempeh
• rice flour – I used rice flour from a pack for convenience but traditionally toasted rice flour is used
• annatto powder – to give the stew a brighter colour
• ground peanuts + unsweetened peanut butter – form the signature flavours of this dish
• vegan fish sauce
• beef boullion cube or vegetable stock cube
• vegan shrimp paste