kare-kare

my mom made all kinds of comfort food during the weekend — menudo, beef steak (with lots of onion) and kare-kare (my dad and i pronounce it as care-care, because she makes it with extra love! i know, cheesy, right? LOL!).

i remember not being a big fan of kare-kare growing up, actually. can’t imagine why now because i can’t get enough of it these days. i do remember it used to be made with beef cubes, tripe as well as ox tail for fiestas. these days, it’s mostly ox tail. and for the longest time, that was a cut of meat that was a bit difficult to find in the regular grocery store. my mom used to have to go to actual butchers. the first several years i was living in poughkeepsie, it wasn’t something i could find at the stop & shop. in my new hometown, it’s available pretty readily — must be because of the large hispanic population in the area. they’ve definitely perked up people’s dining choices around here 🙂

oh, and in case people in new york city read this blog, there’s this philippine restaurant in woodside, queens called ihawan that serves great kare-kare. full disclosure: it’s owned by a distant uncle. the sauce is peanut-ey and flavorful. it’s almost as good as my mom’s 😛 be sure to ask for extra shrimp paste.