Meatless Kare-Kare

Kare-kare is one of my most favorite dishes. I like it best with ox face, ox feet and ox tripe combined. But any meat will actually do—pork liempo, pork pata, lean beef, even chicken will be great for kare-kare. For me, I don’t really care much as to what I eat, I don’t count calories, I couldn’t even care less how much fat there is for as long as I eat in moderation. Eating should be as pleasurable as it is nourishing. But for some, especially those who are afraid to die, they are conscious about what they put in their bodies. Nothing wrong with that except that they don’t know what they’re missing by skipping the fat.

For them, here’s a kare-kare recipe that is true to the taste even without the meat. And for the carnivore, you won’t miss it. Promise.

Ingredients:

1 bunch sitaw (the greener, the better)

3 pcs medium-sized eggplant

1 bunch pechay

50 grams baguio beans

1 small puso ng saging

3 tbsp semi-sweet peanut butter

1 tsp annatto powder

1 cube Knorr Pork

1½ cups water

1 tbsp dinurog na bigas (optional)

1 large onion

3 cloves garlic

3 tbsp cooking oil

Some bagoong

Procedure:

Blanch all vegetables except pechay in a pot of boiling water. Simmer over low heat. Add pechay as soon as the other vegetables are tender but have not lost their bright color. Drain and soak in ice-cold water for about five minutes.

Meanwhile, saute annatto, onion and garlic in oil (pork lard is better). Add bagoong and a few tsp of water. Cook until done. Transfer to a small bowl, leaving some (about 2 tbsp) in the pan. Add more oil and annatto if necessary.

Add water and knorr pork cubes (or if you shun broth cubes and the like, boil pork knuckles for 3 HOURS and use the broth). Stir in peanut butter, making sure that it dissolves completely. Put dinurog na bigas dissolved in 3 tbsp water.

No need to season with salt because the broth cubes and the bagoong will do the job.

Drain vegetables from the ice-water and mix in with the peanut sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Plate.

Makes 8-10 servings for the diet conscious, 4-5 to the deprived.