Skip to content past banner and navigation links

Vegetable Kare-Kare (Peanut Stew)

A traditional Filipino stew featuring a thick, savory peanut sauce.

Recipe Source: Healthy Heart, Healthy Family Manual for the Filipino Community
Prep time Cook time Yields Serving Size
15 minutes 25 minutes 6 servings 1/6 stew

Ingredients

2 Tbsp corn oil

9 oz (250 g) gluten or seitan cubes

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, sliced

½ C ground peanuts

¼ C ground toasted rice

Atsuete (optional)—soak 1 Tbsp of annoto seeds in ½ C water for 30 mins; add the liquid (not the seeds) to the recipe

¼ tsp salt

7 oz (200 g) eggplant, sliced

3½ oz (100 g) string beans, sliced

5 oz (150 g) banana heart or bud

3½ oz (100 g) bok choy (pechay), sliced

calories 300
Total fat 12 g
Saturated fat 2 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 125 mg
Total fiber 4 g
Protein 36 g
Carbohydrates 20 g
Potassium 320 mg
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Directions

  • 1
    To make ground, toasted rice: Place rice, ½ cup at a time, in a frying pan or wok and heat over moderate heat, stirring frequently to keep it from burning and to allow it to develop a uniform, deep golden color—2 to 3 minutes. Then remove it from heat and cool to room temperature. Grind the toasted rice coarsely—not finely—in a blender, or spice or coffee grinder.

  • 2
    Heat the corn oil in a large skillet. Sauté the gluten/seitan, then add the garlic and onion.

  • 3
    Add enough water to cover gluten, add ground peanuts and ground rice, and simmer to thicken.

  • 4
    Add atsuete for coloring, and season with salt.

  • 5
    Turn heat to low, and add the eggplant, then string beans, then banana heart, then bok choy (pechay). Cook until vegetables are tender (don’t overcook).

Note: This recipe doesn’t contain cholesterol because it uses the protein product gluten instead of oxtails or other meat. (Gluten is made from protein that is in a variety of grains, such as wheat and rye. One form of wheat gluten, seitan, is sold as strips or in cans at health food stores and Asian supermarkets.)

_______________
™Keep the Beat is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.