care for karekare?

seabass karekare, originally uploaded by organic baker.

***warning: this is slightly on the absurd side, so, if by chance you think i've crossed the line... just skip this and move on... read something else... or watch tv...***

this week is my glorious chance to eat "sinigang" (tamarind soup - with veggies mind you) without any hesitation. i have to be honest though - if there's any kind of food that i miss terribly the most... it's kare kare. my tito carlo makes the best one because he uses freshly ground peanuts and finely ground toasted rice. it's probably been a good 8 years now since ive had one. kare kare is traditionally an oxtail stew with peanut sauce, served with shrimp paste on the side. the stew itself is on the bland side, mainly getting flavors from the slow simmering of oxtail and peanuts. the shrimp paste, as weird as it sounds, makes a wonderful dipping sauce that takes the dish into another level of epicurean delight. this is the ultimate food pairing.

since i dont eat anything that makes a sound audible to the human ears, i gave kare kare a good thought. then at a fish market, it suddenly hit me... sea bass has that gelatin like substance similar to that of an oxtail! perfect candidate! i got a pack a a premade kare kare mix without msg, but lo and behold.. had chicken flavor. i had to do some quick thinking. i decided to simmer the slice of seabass in about a quarter cup of water. while it was simmering, i mixed half a cup of peanut butter with a cup of water, a teaspoon of chicken flavored vegetable powder, 1 tsp rice flour, quarter tsp annatto powder, salt and pepper. discard the simmering liquid and replace with the peanut butter mixture. add a good two hands full of chopped yard long beans, stir frequently during the first 5 minutes until it reaches a boil then let simmer for about 7 minutes. check and adjust seasoning. add baby bok choy and let simmer for about 3 more minutes. turn off heat and let stand for about 10 minutes before eating. serve with steamed rice.

sheer happiness.

not into stewed fish? how about grilling it, then serve the sauce on the side... or baste the fish with the sauce while grilling then saute the veggies. try it!