Kare-kare

Pata Kare-kare is my version of pork kare-kare. This recipe uses pork shank (pig’s leg) or pata along with some veggies. You will notice that the sauce in this recipe is thicker and chunkier compared to our previous recipes; I tried adding more crushed peanuts because it adds life to this dish.
Cooking pata kare-kare is fairly easy. Making the pork tender might be a challenge for you, so I tried
to show one way to do it – boiling for about 1 hour. Of course, you can always use pressure cooker if you want to get things done fast. Once your pork is ready, it should be easy to complete the dish.

Kare-kare goes well with white rice. Sauteed shrimp paste or bagoong alamang compliments this dish well and makes it stand out.

If you plan to consume part of the dish in the future, make sure that you keep it in a clean and covered container. You can keep it in the freezer for 2 weeks.

1 1/2 kgs pork pata, cut to serving pieces
1 cup of peanut butter (add more if you so desire)
1/4 cup grounded toasted rice
1/2 cup cooked bagoong alamang (anchovies for side dish)
2 pieces onions, sliced
2 heads of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons atsuete oil
2 pieces eggplant, sliced 1 inch thick
1 bundle Pechay (Bok choy) cut into 2 pieces
1 bundle of sitaw (string beans) cut to 2″ long
1 banana bud, cut similar to eggplant slices, blanch in boiling water
8 cups of water or pork stock
Salt to taste

1. In a stock pot, boil pata in water for an hour or until cooked. Strain and keep the stock.
2. In a big pan or wok, heat atsuete oil.
3. Sauté garlic, onions until golden brown, then add toasted rice, cooked pata and peanut butter. 
4. Add water or stock and bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
5. Add the eggplant, string beans, pechay and banana bud. Cook the vegetables for a few minutes – Do not overcook the vegetables.

6. Serve with bagoong (shrimp paste) on the side and hot plain rice, enjoy!