Recipe Results: Kare-Kare and Fried Rice

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Last night I tried making Kare-Kare for the first time. It’s one of those classic Filipino dishes that I grew up with. The whole combination of slow-cooked oxtail, simmered with eggplant, bok choy, and other vegetables in a soupy peanut butter sauce just goes so well together. As someone stated in the comments of the recipe page. It’s comfort food. Serve it up with warm white rice. Add some bagoong (shrimp paste) on the side. I always associate Kare-Kare with fond memories.

Via Pinterest, I found a recipe here:
http://www.theskinnypot.com/slow-cooked-kare-kare-from-scratch-filipino-peanut-stew-from-scratch/

What I like about this recipe is that you don’t rely on Mama Sita’s Kare-Kare mix. You just make it from scratch.

It turned out ok but not great. For the first trial, I’m not surprised. Here’s what I would do differently the next time I make it:

  • Cook with enough time in advance to let the meat broth cool. When the fat thickens and separates at the broth’s surface, remove it. (I personally don’t mind all the fat, but it would make Caro happy.)
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Oxtail after simmering in water for about 4 hours. It was still hot but you can see the fat bubbles along the surface.
  • Use more peanut butter! Even though that’s the ingredient I think really makes Kare-Kare uniquely delicious, I went conservative this first time. Not all the kids like the peanut butter soup so I thought they might give it a try if I kept it subtle. The result was Kare-Kare with only a hint of peanut butter flavor. Sofia still didn’t like it. On the other hand, Caro added more peanut butter to her serving. It was lose-lose both ways.

I also made fried rice with a recipe I’ve used a few times already:
http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/fried-rice-recipe/

The kids love fried rice, especially Luna and Leon. I smile watching them enjoy it as much as they do. Last night, though, I overcooked it and added too much black pepper. They still liked it but for next time, I have to be more attentive. I was juggling both the Kare-Kare and fried rice on different burners, trying to be efficient. Instead, I spread myself too thin. It’ll take a lot more practice before I get to that point of juggling without dropping the ball.

Pan-fried Trout Fillets with Leftovers

Since I took my mid-career retirement last year, I’ve been working on the habit of cooking dinner every day I have off. This gives Caro a break and encourages me to try new recipes and practice my cooking in general.

Last night I was planning on trying Pork Hamonado:
http://panlasangpinoy.com/2016/01/25/simple-pork-hamonado/

…which looks like a variation of one of my favorites Filipino dishes growing up. We ended up changing plans after assessing the leftover situation. We had a few servings of chili leftover from the day before and there were also a couple filets of fresh trout that hadn’t been cooked yet. (Caro made a trip to Fisherman’s Dock in Mandarin a couple of days ago but she only cooked one of the filets that evening since we also had oven-baked buffalo chicken wings for dinner before the Super Bowl.)

It made more sense to work with what we had instead of making a trip to Publix for some pork shoulder and pineapple chunks (needed for the Pork Hamonado).

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Pan-fried trout with salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried parsley flakes

To keep things simple, rather than looking up a new recipe for the trout like I normally would, I just pan fried the trout with salt, pepper, garlic powder and some dried parsley flakes.

I liked how they turned out but Caro thought they were too salty for her taste. I’ll need to find somewhere in the middle next time. I guess I could just add more seasoning to my personal serving once at the table.

We served the trout with brown rice, baby peas and a simple salad of romaine hearts no dressing. The chili was reheated and we finished that off as well. Hodgepodge combination I know. When you’re hungry, though, it doesn’t really matter.

I’ll try the Pork Hamonado recipe on my next day off.