Pork, beef & lamb

Beef Kare-Kare

Name: Beef Kare-Kare
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 50 min
Total time: 3 h 10 min
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 1kg beef shin, fat trimmed, 4cm chunks; 120g smooth peanut butter; 30g rice flour; 1 (150g) onion, chopped; 5 cloves (25g) garlic, crushed; 6g (2 tsp) sweet paprika, or annatto powder; 30ml fish sauce; 1 cube beef stock cube; 1L water; 1 (280g) aubergine, 2cm chunks; 250g green beans, 4cm lengths; 15ml rapeseed oil

Beef shin braised until meltingly tender in a nutty peanut sauce thickened with toasted rice flour, with aubergine and green beans.

makes 27 blocks, about 49p each

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Illustration of a bowl of Beef Kare-Kare

Time: 3 hr 10 min20 min prep · 2 hr 50 min cook
Makes: 27 blocks
Cost per blockPer block: 49p
Calories per blockCalories: 100 kcal
Fibre per blockFibre: 1.1g

Ingredients

Batch size

blocks

1kgbeef shin, fat trimmed, 4cm chunks
120gsmooth peanut butter
30grice flour
1 (150g)onion, chopped
5 cloves (25g)garlic, crushed
6g (2 tsp)sweet paprika, or annatto powder
30mlfish sauce
1 cubebeef stock cube
1Lwater
1 (280g)aubergine, 2cm chunks
250ggreen beans, 4cm lengths
15mlrapeseed oil

Allergens: Fish, Peanuts. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

GF
DF
NUTS

Nutrition

estimated

	1 block	3 blocks
Energy	100 kcal	300 kcal
Protein	9.5g	28.5g
Carbs	3.2g	9.6g
Fat	5.5g	16.5g
Fibre	1.1g	3.3g
Salt	0.49g	1.47g

Method

Step 1: Toast the rice flour in a dry casserole over a medium heat, stirring, until light golden and nutty. Tip it into a bowl. (4 min)
Step 2: Heat the oil in the casserole and soften the onion for 6 minutes. Add the garlic and paprika for 1 minute.
Step 3: Add the beef, water and stock cube. Bring to the boil, skim, then cover and simmer gently until the beef is very tender. (2 hours 15 min)
Step 4: Whisk the peanut butter and toasted rice flour with a ladle of the hot broth until smooth, then stir it into the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring, until thick.
Step 5: Add the aubergine and simmer for 10 minutes, then the green beans for 5 minutes more, until both are just tender.
Step 6: Season with the fish sauce, then cool and freeze in 70g blocks.

Serve it

Steamed rice with a little shrimp paste on the side · Rice with steamed pak choi · Garlic rice and a squeeze of lime

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per block	100	9.5g	3.2g	5.5g	1.1g	0.49g
Per 3 blocks	300	28.5g	9.6g	16.5g	3.3g	1.47g

Cook’s notes

Kare-kare is seasoned gently; in the Philippines the saltiness comes from shrimp paste (bagoong) served on the side.
Pak choi is often added too. Stir in 200g, quartered, with the green beans if you like.
The sauce thickens as it cools, so loosen it with a splash of water when reheating if needed.

Serve it

Steamed rice with a little shrimp paste on the side · Rice with steamed pak choi · Garlic rice and a squeeze of lime.

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, portion it into 70g blocks in a silicone tray, then bag and label them. It keeps for 3 months.
Reheat: Microwave 3 blocks, covered, for 1 minute, stir, then heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until piping hot all the way through. Or warm them in a pan with a splash of water. Never refreeze thawed blocks.
A portion: 3 blocks (210g) make a dinner for one adult: about 300 kcal and 28.5g protein before rice, bread or potatoes.

Beef Kare-Kare questions

Why toast the rice flour?

Toasting gives the rice flour a nutty flavour that matches the peanut, and it thickens the sauce smoothly. You can use 30g ground rice toasted the same way.

Can I use oxtail?

Oxtail is the classic cut. Use about 1.5kg on the bone, simmer for 3 hours until the meat falls off the bones, then pick the meat out and continue from step 4.

Can I make it without fish sauce?

Use 1 tsp salt or 20ml soy sauce instead. Soy sauce adds soya to the allergens, so use tamari to keep it gluten-free.