Kare-kare or kari-kari as other calls it, is a traditional Filipino oxtail stew. It is made from peanut sauce with a variety of vegetables, stewed oxtail, beef, and occasionally offal or tripe.
Meat variants may include goat meat or (rarely) chicken. It is often eaten with bagoong (shrimp paste), sometimes spiced with chilli, and sprinkled with calamansi juice.
Traditionally, any Filipino fiesta is not complete without Kare-kare. In some Filipino-American versions of the dish, oxtail is exclusively used as the meat.
As with many things in the Philippines, there are several stories as to the origins of Kare-kare. It is said that it came from Pampanga. Another, from the regal dishes of the Moro elite who once settled in Manila before the Spanish arrival (interestingly enough, in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, Kare-kare also remains a popular dish).
Kare-kare has been a comfort food for Filipinos, and is a perennial family favorite in both local and overseas Filipino households.
Because the recipe varies from family to family and person to person, different version of Kare-kare is made.
credits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kare-kare
