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Instant Pot Kare-Kare

Filipino dish made of tender oxtail, peanut butter sauce, long beans, and bok choy.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Filipino
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 10

Ingredients

  • 3.5 lbs. beef oxtail
  • 2 lbs. beef neck bone
  • 8 cups water
  • 4 blocks beef bouillon
  • 1/2 onion sliced
  • 1 package long beans
  • 1 package baby bok choy
  • 2 tsp. shrimp paste aka Bagoong

To Prepare Soup

  • 1-1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 2 packs Mama Cita kare-kare mix
  • 1 cup hot water

Instructions

  1. Turn on Instant Pot to SAUTE and heat up oil.

  2. Brown meat in batches and remove from heat.

  3. Brown onions. Add a little bit of oil.

  4. Deglaze bottom of pot by adding a little of the water; about a cup or two. Using a wooden spoon, scrape bottom of pot lifting off the good bits.

  5. Return browned meat to the pot and add rest of the water. Add bouillon cubes. Water should just barely cover the meat. 

  6. Close lid and vent to SEAL. Set Instant to MEAT/STEW 30 minutes. Once done, let pot natural pressure release (NPR) for 20 minutes and then, turn knob to quick release (QR). As it NPR's the pot display will say "L-number". For example, if it says "L10," that means 10 mins have lapsed.

  7. While meat is cooking, wash and prepare the long beans and bok choy. Blanch veggies in hot water to cook them.

  8. Prepare the peanut butter soup mixture. In a heat-resistant mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, hot water, and Mama Cita packages. It will still be semi-solid (but don't worry because it will dilute soon.)

  9. After you NPR the vent, open lid and remove excess fat using a fat skimming ladle. Also, remove 3 cups of the water from the Instant Pot. Turn pot off.

  10. Mix in prepared peanut butter soup mixture in the pot. Thicken with more peanut butter if necessary.

  11. Add 2 tsp. shrimp paste to the pot and mix.

  12. Add cooked veggies to the pot and meal is done. Serve over fresh Jasmine rice.

Recipe Notes

  • I remove excess cooking water after the meat is done so that the peanut butter soup mix won't need a lot to thicken.
  • Blanching the veggies in hot water separately helps to avoid the peanut butter soup mix from burning the bottom of the pot. I've tried to cook the veggies in the pot before and the bottom burned a little.
  • As sauce thickens, the chance of burning the bottom increases.