Kare-Kare Beef Udon with Shrimp-Paste Chili Oil (Filipino × Japanese)
Chewy udon and thin-sliced beef in an annatto-tinted peanut broth, topped with a jammy egg and bagoong chili oil: a 30-minute bowl.
Method
Bring a small pot of water to the boil and keep it on high heat. Lower the eggs straight from the fridge in with a ladle and cook for , then move them to iced water to cool and peel. The yolks will be soft and jammy.
Add in this stepEggs 2
high heatPut the chili-oil oil, bagoong and pepper flakes in a small pan on low heat and stir for . As soon as the bagoong sizzles and smells toasty, tip it into a small bowl. Pepper flakes burn easily, so keep the heat low.
Add in this stepVegetable oil (for the chili oil) 2 tbspBagoong alamang (ready-to-eat sautéed shrimp paste) 1½ tspRed pepper flakes 1 tsp
low heatHeat the oil in a 20 cm pot on medium heat and fry the minced garlic and thinly sliced onion for until soft. Add the annatto powder and stir for just 10 seconds so the oil turns orange.
Add in this stepVegetable oil 1½ tbspGarlic cloves 3Onion ½Annatto (achuete) powder 1 tsp
medium heatPour in the stock, add the peanut butter, soy sauce and mirin and whisk until smooth. Simmer on medium heat for until the broth is lightly thickened and smells nutty, then turn the heat right down.
Add in this stepChicken stock 750 mlSmooth unsweetened peanut butter 4 tbspSoy sauce 3 tspMirin 2 tsp
medium heatBring plenty of water to the boil in another 22 cm pot and keep it on high heat. Add the long beans (4 cm lengths), the bok choy halved lengthwise and the udon together and cook for . When the noodles separate and the vegetables are bright, drain and divide among bowls.
Add in this stepFrozen udon noodles (200 g portions) 2Long beans or green beans 80 gBok choy 2
high heatAdjust the peanut broth to medium-low heat so the surface just trembles and add the beef one slice at a time, spread out, for . Lift it out the moment the pink disappears so it stays tender, and lay it on the noodles.
Add in this stepThinly sliced beef for hot pot (e.g. brisket) 240 g
medium-low heatPour the broth over the noodles, tuck the vegetables around the edge and top with the halved eggs, coarsely crushed peanuts and sliced spring onions. Add the shrimp-paste chili oil a little at a time to taste.
Add in this stepRoasted unsalted peanuts 20 gSpring onions 1
Cook's tip
If your peanut butter is sweetened, use less mirin. Thin the broth with stock or hot water if it gets too thick. Thinly sliced pork or prawns also work instead of beef.
Cooking it at camp
With a two-burner stove it works as written. On one burner, cook the noodles and vegetables first, put them in the bowls, then make the broth in the same pot. Make the eggs and chili oil at home and keep them in the cooler.