Kare Kare Gulay

One of my FAVORITE dishes I ate almost daily in the Philippines last summer was Kare Kare Gulay. It is a peanut butter vegetable dish that is very tasty and exotic. When I returned to Canada I vowed that I would try to replicate it as close as possible to Dencio’s (A chain restaurant in Manila).

I have now been successful in this feat twice. However I warn you that I substitute many of the vegetables for readily available Canadian ones but the taste is the same.

The rest of the items I keep pretty much the same. The onion, garlic, banana hearts, and peanut butter.

So here is how to make it my way.

• Get your 1 1/2 cups of water boiling to make your veggie broth.
• Put about 2 tsps of canola oil in a deep dish non-stick frying pan.
• Dice 1 full medium yellow onion.
• Chop into fine pieces 4 cloves of garlic. (I love garlic)
• Saute the onion and garlic in the pan until they start to change color and then add the veggie broth.
• Stir in the entire package of Mama Sita’s Kare-Kare sauce mix. (I buy mine from a Filipino grocery store in Millwoods)

• While that simmers slice 1 full medium zucchini down the middle and then cut into 1/2″ inch moon shaped pieces. Also talk 1/2 a large green pepper and cut into strips.
• Add the zucchini, snap peas (whole), and green pepper into the frying pan with the sauce.
• Plop in 3 big plops of Chunky peanut butter. (About 6 tbsp.) Then stir aggressively until mixed in.
• Let everything bubble together covered for about 3 mins. Stir occasionally right to the bottom.
• Then add 1 full can of drained Banana Hearts aka Banana Blossoms (Shown above with Sauce mix also from Filipino grocery and on sale this week for $0.99!) LOL
• Simmer while stirring occasionally for an additional 2 mins or until the zucchini is the tenderness you like. (I like mine firmer of course)

Then plate and serve on a bed of rice. I made 2 cups of brown instant rice. I also divide into 3 generous portions so I have supper, lunch and supper. However this could easily feed more people!

NOTE: This can be a tricky recipe and while the traditional Filipino way takes a lot of time the Canadian way goes quite quick. Save yourself some stress and chop up everything before you start cooking. At least for your first attempt.

The Kare-Kare Gulay is 1,179 calories undivided or 393 per serving when divided by 3.
The Brown rice I use is 600 calories undivided or 200 per serving when divided by 3.