Easy Vegan Kare-Kare
​Chef Reina Montenegro
​Nick’s on Grand

Can vegan cuisine thrive in Filipino cooking?
Chef Reina firmly believes it can.

Passionate about vegan cuisine, she has successfully transformed traditional Filipino food using vegetables, without losing the flavor and texture of the dishes we ate growing up. 

​Here, she shows us how to make kare-kare, customarily made with oxtail and tripe, the vegan way. 

Ingredients

1 T Annatto seeds

¼ Cup oil of your choice
 
1-2 T Black Bean Garlic Sauce (or more if

desired)

½ Cup Creamy organic peanut butter

3 Cups of water 

3 small Chinese eggplants (Large dice and

deep fried to soften)

½ cup green beans (blanched) 

2 bundles baby bokchoy (cut into 4,

lengthwise)

½ block of firm tofu cut into ½ inch dice

​(deep fried until crispy)
​

​

Procedure: ​

1. In a medium pan, heat oil with annatto seed in low heat until the oil turns red-orange. Take out the seeds and discard them. Set the annatto oil to the side.
2. Turn the heat up to medium. Add peanut butter and black bean garlic sauce and mix well. ​
3. Add water and bring to a boil.
4. Stir in green beans and bokchoy.
5. Cook until slightly tender and turn heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens. 
6. Once the desired thickness is reached, take the pan off the heat and add the fried eggplant. 
7. Plate the kare-kare and add the fried tofu on top.
8. Garnish with fried garlic, chopped green onions and fried Yuba sheets.